All The Pretty Little Horses
by Miss Rhapsody
Summary: [8:12?] Her life is hell, confusing and painful. She can't escape in sleep; she's plagued by dreams of memories. Only she can save him, but she doesn't know how.
1. Prologue

All The Pretty Little Horses

Author: Rhapsody 

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Note: This story was written before the release of Order of the Pheonix. It does not reflect OotP canon and any characters appearing from OotP may not be in character.

Prologue 

****

****

Three girls clad in green sat quietly at the end of a large table, one with long black hair, one with blond, and one with brown hair. The brown haired one tapped her foot impatiently and turned to her sisters.

"Why do we have to do this?"

The black haired girl gave her a sharp look with piercing red eyes. "Don't be so juvenile! I've been alive far longer than you, and I know what's important."

The blond girl sighed. "Don't be so harsh on her, Ruby. One must remember, the poor dear always has to do the dirty work. At least we don't have to _talk to them_."

Ruby shook her head, "It used to be so easy..."

"I know," said the blond, "I remember when it was just us, the humans never needed help. We didn't have to go near them, they are so _dirty_." 

The youngest girl laughed, "You have _no idea_. At least I can have a little fun with them, they are so _stupid_!" She laughed.

"Sapphire, that's disgusting!" said the blond, appalled.

Ruby turned to her and said quietly, "Maybe someday she'll understand. It takes a few hundred years before one can grasp how the world really works."

"It's not disgusting!" Sapphire replied, not noticing her sisters' side comments, "It's funny, they think they are so powerful! But they have no idea what _real_ power is!"

Ruby eyed her sister suspiciously and turned back to Emerald, the blond sister, "You see? She thinks herself all-powerful. Once she grasps the true intent of her powers, then she will become a true immortal."

Emerald cast a pitying look upon her sister, "Yes, she looks like just a baby. I hope her task isn't too much for her to handle."

"That's why we came with. She might need a little help." Ruby said sorrowfully.

"As long as we don't need to get too close to them!" Emerald said a tinge of sarcasm apparent in her voice.

"I doubt at this point we have a choice. Maybe, if we're lucky we can do it all from here." Ruby replied.

Sapphire started tapping her foot again, this time nervously. She was obviously becoming distressed by her sisters' secret conversation.

"Don't worry dear," Emerald said to the brunette, "We're here for you."

Just then a door at the other end of the room opened and an indescribably beautiful figure appeared. She was cloaked in gold and had long silver hair falling to the floor. Her skin was so pale it was translucent, but still beautiful. She wore a dress of what looked like stars, and her entire being radiated a soft light.

She approached the table and took a seat at the end.

She spoke with a soft beautiful voice, "We must wait for one more of my kin, children. Please be patient."

After that the room was silent until the door opened again and another woman entered the room. She was as beautiful as the first, but her beauty was different. The first woman had a beauty that one could not describe with words, but the second seemed more _real_ than the first.

The second woman wore a cloak of fire. The flames at the ends licked the floor and cracked as she walked. She had creamy white skin and her hair was made of water. It ran endlessly to the floor, but no puddle appeared in her wake as it was eaten up by her cloak of fire. Her dress was made of living plants and showed her light skin in places.

She took a seat next to the other woman at the end of the table next to the first woman. The first woman stood as the second sat.

The first spoke, "Reality has arrived, we may begin now." And she sat again.

The second woman, Reality, stood, "Welcome my children. I have been watching the world, as is my duty. In my watch I have discovered that there is a power growing. Before now there has been one human who has kept this power at bay. Alas, children, he is growing careless. We must intervene if we are to keep evil from causing great destruction." 

The first woman, Destiny, nodded. "We have a task for you Sapphire."

Reality sat down and spoke again, "I see your sisters have accompanied you. That is good. They must care about you."

Destiny nodded in agreement. "You three realize that there is some human in you and you must help the creatures of the world."

Ruby and Sapphire nodded. Emerald just sat looking solemn.

"Is there something troubling you child?" Destiny cast a worried look upon the blond girl.

"It just seems," Emerald said quietly, "that they are abusing their power."

Reality smiled softly, making her look even more beautiful. "You are wise, my child, but you must realize that before one can become truly good they must make mistakes. We must not scorn those below us, but guide them to a better life."

"And some day," Destiny continued, "they will fulfill their destinies and become truly good."

Emerald nodded in understanding.

Reality smiled again, "Now to the difficult part."

Destiny rose from her chair again. "We have messages for you to deliver, Sapphire, and many things for you to do. There is a great evil the humans must fight..."

~*~*~*~*~*~


	2. Shoes Came Flying

All The Pretty Little Horses

Author: Rhapsody

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Note: This story was written before the release of Order of the Pheonix. It does not reflect OotP canon and any characters appearing from OotP may not be in character.

Chapter 1 Shoes Came Flying 

Once again a fight had broken out between Ron and Hermione during lunch in the Great Hall.

"I see the way you look at him, Hermione! I'm not a total idiot!"

"Stop being such a retarded git! We're friends! Just friends, nothing more!"

Ron appeared not to hear her. "How dare you jeopardize our friendship by romancing Harry!"

"RON! JUST SHUT UP!" Hermione was practically yelling. Harry had broken into fits of laughter at the thought of Hermione "romancing" him. Hermione bent over and whispered something that sounded like "He's only doing this because he _fancies_ me…"

"There you go again! Whispering sweet nothings into his ear!" The Slytherins had turned to watch the argument and were now pointing and howling with laughter.

"Ron, I've had _enough_ of your immature _arguing_!" She turned to Harry. "I'm going, I've got homework." She turned and stormed out of the Great Hall. The now 17-year-old Draco Malfoy walked over to the Gryffindor table and sneered at Ron.

            "Poor Weasel _still_ hasn't gotten the mudblood to like him! A witch generally prefers a wizard with money. Oops, I forgot, she's only a mudblood, and they have lower standards. I guess you don't meet _those_ either!" 

            Ron gave him a threatening glare. "Why don't you go and suck Goyle!" 

"It'd be better than what I'd get from a mudblood!" Malfoy spat the last word at him. 

Ron jumped up and was about to punch Malfoy in the face when Harry grabbed his arm. Ron threw an angry look at his best friend.

            "Don't waste your breath on him, Ron," Harry said. 

"Shut up, Harry!" he bellowed. And with that he stomped out of the Great Hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room, hunched over _Standard Book of Spells Year 7_. She was muttering something about a sleeping spell when Harry and Ron stepped through the portrait hole. Hermione looked up.

            "Oh, it's you!" She declared heatedly, before a much more cheerful "Hullo, Harry!" emerged from her lips. She was apparently still angry with Ron about what had happened at lunch. Ron just ignored her and stomped up to the boys dormitory labeled _7th Years_. He was obviously angry too. Harry sighed and sat down.

            "Maybe you should talk to him Hermione, really, he —"

            "If he fancies me that much, why doesn't he tell me so? I mean, honestly! Does he have to be like _that_?" She shut her book and looked at Harry. He didn't answer. 

"Are you implying that you fancy him too?" Harry asked. 

Hermione smiled weakly. "I'm just saying that he doesn't need to act like such a stupid prat all the time." 

Harry gave her a suspicious look. "Wow, Hermione, I never thought you'd choose him over me, I mean, I'm — Ouch!" He yelped as Hermione slapped him hard on the arm.

"Harry, I'm not _choosing_ anyone. I know he fancies me and I want to give him a chance. If it doesn't work out then, well, it doesn't…"

"He really does talk about you a lot."

"I know that — you know I know that!" She smiled again.

"You really should talk to him, tell him what you told me…"

Hermione flushed with annoyance. "Oh yeah right, so I can listen to him being all like –" She mimicked Ron's voice with amusing accuracy – "'I saw you in the common room romancing Harry! You're jeopardizing our friendship!' And on and on! If not for me he wouldn't even _know_ what 'jeopardize' meant!" 

Harry laughed at her impression of Ron. "I'll take it then that you don't want to talk to him?"

"Not at the moment."

"Would you like me to talk to him?"

"That would be lovely!" She smiled warmly.

"I'll tell him what you said."

"Oh, and kindly don't mention that whole jeopardizing thing."

"I won't." 

"Thanks!" Hermione kissed him on the cheek and returned to reading and repeating the word _Slumberosa_ while waving her hand.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron was sitting on his bed cursing at himself for being "such a dumbass!" when Harry walked in.

"Are you okay?"

"If you call totally humiliating yourself in front of the Slytherins and picking a fight with the girl you fancy okay, then I'm just _peachy_!" 

Harry sat down next to Ron and began reiterating what Hermione had said. 

"If you like her so much, why don't you just tell her?" 

There was an awkward silence.

"I dunno, I just can't…"

"Why?"

"What if she says 'no'?"

"What if she says 'yes'?"

"I don't want to be rejected…" Ron frowned and looked at his feet.

"She's sitting in the common room waiting for you to ask her to, I dunno, go to the astronomy tower with you…"  

 There was another awkward silence, so Harry stood up and left Ron to his thoughts. Ron just sat there trying to let the words Harry had just repeated to him sink in. It was the obvious thing to do. So why hadn't he done it yet? He knew why, it was because he was afraid, afraid she'd just laugh at him. He had known he loved her since 4th year when she was dancing with Victor Krum at the Yule Ball. He was reluctant to ask her but Harry had implied… 

Ron got up and after a good half hour of deciding exactly what to say. He emerged from his dorm and sat down next to Hermione on a couch. She looked up at him.

"Yes, Ron?"

"Well…umm… I've sort of been thinking and I… umm… really really l-like you so… umm… and…" What he had planned on saying evaporated, leaving him sputtering at her.

"Sure, Ron! I'd love to, perhaps… be your girlfriend… I thought you'd never ask!" Hermione smiled warmly; she had known exactly what he was going to say. She quickly hugged him and he smiled.

"Blimey, that was easier than I thought!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry reentered the Gryffindor tower smiling happily.

"You wouldn't believe it! One chaser and the keeper positions are open on the team and almost 30 people, if you count first years, have asked Professor McGonagall about it!" Harry looked over to see Hermione reading a book and Ron with his arm wrapped around her smiling dumbly and staring out into space. Ron looked up suddenly.

"Oh, hullo Harry! What was that you were saying?"

"Never mind that. Have you seen your sister?"

This time Hermione answered. "Oh, she's in her dormitory."

"Okay, thanks Hermione!" Harry headed up the stairs towards the door labeled _6th Years_. Ginny was alone in the dorm, lying on her bed staring at the curtains above her.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"Who is it?" Ginny felt a bit stupid talking to a door.

"It's Harry, can I come in?" 

Ginny sat bolt upright. Harry never came looking for her. The only time he'd ever come up here was to find out if she knew where Hermione was.

"Y-yes, sure Harry." She stuttered bit. She had never gotten over her crush on him. 

The door opened, admitting a very energetic Harry. He talked as he approached Ginny's bed, "Ginny, you know, I think you're the best chaser on the team, so I want to ask you if you know of anyone who could fill the keeper position." 

"Huh?" Ginny suddenly looked confused and started tugging on her red tresses.

"Quidditch… keeper…"

"Oh… umm, I dunno… maybe Lizzie, she's a 5th year. Yeah, Lizzie, ask her. She's —" 

Harry cut her off. "Okay, thanks Ginny. Oh, and did you do something with your hair? It looks great!" Harry left Ginny standing there, blushing. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione finished reading her book and turned to Ron. He smiled. He looked like a contented puppy that just found a bone. _He's sooo adorable._

"I'm done reading, now it's your turn to decide what to do, we have exactly one hour until Herbology." 

Ron smiled, thanking every heavenly spirit he could think of that it was Friday. Fridays were superb because there were only 2 classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. That made for a few extra hours of free time in between classes. 

"Well, if we have a whole hour, there's something I want to show you." Ron grabbed her hand and they swept through the portrait of the Fat Lady, leaving the Gryffindor common room. 

They ran down the corridors on their way outside. Descending the stairs quickly left them both momentarily out of breath, so Hermione and Ron stopped. They were panting when Hermione noticed a stray hair fall over Ron's eyes. She straightened up and brushed it out of his face with her hand.

_To hell with it!_ Ron thought, and he leaned in and gently kissed her. Hermione instantly filled with warmth as if a tankard of butterbeer had just been poured down her throat. She melted into him.

"God, I love you Hermione."

"I love you too, Ron." They stayed there locked in each other's arms. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil walked past them and began giggling excitedly. They ran over to a group of Ravenclaw girls and started talking avidly. But Ron and Hermione didn't care. They were lost in each other.

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Draco sat in his room at the large oak desk that faced an empty wall. His room was rather dark. He was fingering a piece of parchment that had been delivered by one of his family's many owls. It was obviously from his father. His mother had sent him a letter earlier that same day. He sighed, _strange_.

Draco opened the letter from his father. It read:

_Draco,_

_I have gotten word from the ministry that there will be a course starting after Christmas that is a special study for 7th Years hoping to be Aurors. Your mother and I have decided that you will be taking that course. Don't worry about the entrance exam, I've taken care of that for you. The answers to the questions are on the following page. Don't let me down, or else._

_Sincerely,_

_Father_

Draco stared at the parchment and it burst into flames, leaving only another parchment with a load of random letters and numbers on it and a little note.

_This parchment is charmed so only you can read it. You are to bring scratch parchment and this will be yours. Little will they know you have the answers! _

_–Father_

_Wonderful!_ Draco thought,_ At least my father does the work of cheating for me._

He sat back and thought of the task his mother had explained to him in her letter. Why had his mother and father sent him two different letters? He thought about the task it had explained again… Draco had not gotten a second chance to read it as, like the one from his father, it had burst into flames upon his eyes darting across the last lines. A mudblood, seduce a mudblood. But why in hell would he want to do that? 

His mother never told him why to do things, but when he did what she instructed it usually ended with him being happy. He determined that his father wouldn't approve of the instructions or she would have written them in the letter explaining this new class he was to take. 

_But it makes no sense_, he thought wearily, _Aren't I to marry some pureblood French witch that father chose? I have no choice but to obey mother, at least she's looking out for me._

He tucked the answer sheet into a hidden compartment in his top left desk drawer. In the drawer there was a locket that his mother had secretly given him on his tenth birthday. He looked at it. Inside were inscribed the words _Love Prevails Over All_. Draco sighed, his mother was up to something. Draco knew that if his father found out all hell would break loose.

He got up and walked out the door of the Slytherin common room. He may as well start his duties now...

~*~*~*~*~*~

The afternoon proceeded with an uneventful Herbology lesson with the Hufflepuffs and lots of kisses between Ron and Hermione. Harry was beginning to wonder whether he should have ever advised Ron to ask Hermione out. 

_But it was bound to happen sooner or later anyway_, Harry thought. He cleared his mind of all of that. He had more important things to do than think about Ron and Hermione's little land of love. He had to find Lizzie; they needed a good keeper. 

Gryffindor had not won the Quidditch Cup since Oliver Wood, the last captain of the Gryfinndor team, had left. It was Harry's last year and he was determined to win the Cup, or, as Wood would have said, "die trying!" Harry sat alone in the common room thinking, _Ginny better be right, we can't afford to lose_.

---Later that night---

Two hours. Three hours. Four hours. Harry sat alone in the common room. It was almost 11:00 and everyone had gone to bed.

Where is she? Where the hell would she be at 11:00 at night? Maybe she went to bed and I didn't see her come in. The 4th and 5th Years are always up late, I'll go knock on the door and find out if she's there, Harry thought. He climbed the stairs in the girls tower until he got to the door. 

Knock! Knock! Knock!

BAM!!!

"What the hell was that?" Harry backed away from the door a little, startled. It sounded like a shoe hitting the door. _Maybe I shouldn't have come up here._

"I NEED MY BEAUTY SLEEP! DO YOU WANT ME TO LOOK LIKE AN UGLY OLD CROW?!? LEAVE ME ALONE! I WANNA SLEEP!"

"SHUT UP_,_ PARVATI!" Harry heard an unfamiliar voice.

"We _all_ wanna sleep, just as much as you do!" Hermione could be heard trying to calm Parvati down.

_Crack! _It sounded like a mirror had broken.

"LAVENDER! DAMMIT! YOU BROKE MY FAVORITE MIRROR! I GOT IT FROM MY GRANDMA!" Parvati screeched.

"WELL MAYBE IF YOU DIDN'T SCREAM BLOODY MURDER EVERY TIME SOMEONE KNOCKED AT THE BLOODY DOOR, WE WOULDN'T HAVE THIS _BLOODY_ PROBLEM!" Lavender yelled back.

"SHUT UP YOU DIRTY WHORE!" Parvati screamed.

"GOOD GAWD PARVATI! YOU'RE GOING TO WAKE THE WHOLE TOWER!" someone else yelled.

"I'll fix the mirror," Harry heard Hermione's smooth tone. "_Repairo_!" 

"_YOU_ SHUT UP, BITCH!" Lavender shot back.

"I'll go see who it is…" Ginny's calm voice could be heard loudly even though she wasn't yelling. 

Harry panicked. _Oh crap!_ _I've gotta get out of here before Ginny finds me… too late!_ Ginny opened the door.

"Harry? Why are you here?" She looked at him quizzically and her soft voice rung in his ears.

"Umm… I was umm… j-just looking for…"

"Hermione? I'll go get her!"

"NO! … I mean, no, not her."

"Then who?" 

Harry's mind was racing. Why would a guy be waking a dorm full of 16 and 17 year old girls at 11:00 at night? How could he cover this up so he didn't look like a pervert?

"You! Yes, I was looking for you… because I want to talk to you…"

"About??"

"Umm… Quidditch" 

Ginny gave him an I-don't-believe-you-but-I'll-come-with-you-anyway look.  She stepped out of the room, neatly closing the door before another one of Parvati's shoes came flying from inside the quarrelling dormitory. They went down the stairs and sat down together on a couch near the fireplace.

Ginny looked over at Harry, who seemed to be terribly uncomfortable about something. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, I just feel kinda stupid waking you all up so late when I didn't even mean to wake your dorm and… I dunno." Harry sighed.

"Oh really, it's nothing. Parvati and Lavender are always throwing fits like that, it happens all the time. Really, you shouldn't feel bad." Ginny's soft gentle voice comforted him; he gazed into her soft, brown eyes. 

"Why were you in there, anyways? I know I went to the wrong dorm, but I thought I went to Hermione's by mistake, not yours?"

"Yeah, that was Hermione's, we were just talking…" Ginny stopped as if she had said too much.

Harry decided to change the subject. "You know what I said about your hair? It really does look different. It's very pretty, not all ugly and messy like mine." Harry sighed again. 

Ginny turned bright red before quickly replying, "I like your hair Harry, it's not terrible and all red and horrible and icky." She frowned. 

Harry smiled, and leaned over, brushing a strand of the pretty red hair out of her face and looked deep into her eyes. She moved closer to Harry and he wrapped his arm around her and they just sat there. She fit perfectly against him and it made them both feel better. 

---Later---

"Harry." Ginny's soft voice was in his ear. His eyes fluttered open.

"Um hum, yes?" 

"I think we fell asleep." Ginny's head motioned towards the clock above the fireplace that read 3:45. 

"We don't have classes today, it's Saturday, and it's so nice down here with you." Harry murmured hazily.

"I think I'm dreaming. I thought you just said…"

"I love you Ginny, you're pretty, and perfect, and let's just go to sleep together." Harry pulled her closer to him and gently kissed her on the cheek.

"I think you're too tired to understand what you're saying, Harry. You need to get some rest."

After much prodding, they both climbed back up to their respective dormitories, but Ginny didn't fall asleep. Had Harry really meant what he had said?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry laid in bed thinking about a dream he had had. He had been in the common room with Ginny and he had said he loved her. Harry stirred thinking about it. After much pondering he concluded that she was pretty, smart, and funny, and about a hundred other things. Did he really love her? And Harry drifted off to sleep forgetting about the night and his "dream".

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ginny got up at about 8:00 that morning and went off in search of Lizzie. Lizzie Wood was 5'6'' and looked like the female version of her brother. Ginny found her in the library searching through the shelves. Ginny approached her.

"Lizzie!"

Lizzie spun a little and grinned. "Oh, hi, Ginny! Do you know where I could find a book with a Freezing charm in it?" She gestured at the book in her hands.

"You don't need a book, just ask Hermione Granger. She tutors people at 3:00 this afternoon in the Great Hall. Harry Potter is looking for you, by the way."

"Why would he ever be looking for me?"

"Because I told him you were excellent at Quidditch and that you'd make a great keeper! Plus, with Oliver as your brother how can you go wrong?"

"Just because I train with him doesn't mean I'm as good as him!"

"Oh, just talk to Harry. We need a keeper. How can we win if the other teams score twice as many goals as we do? And Slytherin is practically paying the snitch to fly into their seeker's hand!"

"Okay, Ginny, I'll talk to him, but I'm not making any promises!"

"Thanks, you're the best, Liz."

"I know!"

"Though you _are_ the most arrogant person I know, except Draco Malfoy!" Ginny smirked at her.

"Arrogant, good? Or arrogant, bad?"

"Arrogant, good. Well, good most of the time."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should!" Ginny smiled. "I'll see you later?"

"Sure… wait, Ginny!" 

Ginny turned around. "What?"

"Didn't you have a thing for Harry Potter?"

"Well, maybe a little."

"Ginny, you are the queen of understatements!" 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Draco Malfoy sat in the Slytherin common room watching Crabbe and Goyle trying to do their homework. They were having trouble with it, but he was in too foul of a mood to bother helping them. He had failed to find the girl he was to manipulate, unless you counted seeing her snogging a Weasley. He shuddered at the thought. Cypris Moon, a girl with long hair and a malevolent look to her approached him.

"What's wrong with my little Draco?" she said sarcastically.

He didn't bother to look at her, "Go away, Cypris, I'm really not in the mood," He seemed not to have picked up her sarcasm. She eyed him suspiciously. Her currently blond hair shined oddly in the candlelight. 

"I know you in and out, Draco Malfoy, and I know when there's something wrong." 

She ran her finger down the side of his face, not seductively but in a threatening way, showing the tattoo of a dagger on her arm. It had a detailed and very evil-looking beauty to it. 

"So either you are going to tell me this second or I'll curse you, torturing you painfully until you release the information."

"It's nothing Cypris, go away." Draco had a cutting edge to his voice.

"No!" she said, glaring. 

"Fine, I'll just have to…" Draco reached for his wand but noticed it was gone. He looked up and saw Cypris smiling triumphantly and toying with it. He knew she wouldn't give it back until he explained. 

Draco reluctantly told her of the letters he had received, knowing she wouldn't tell anyone. He trusted her; she was one of the very few people he trusted. He had known her since early childhood.

After Draco was finally done, Cypris smiled at his explanation. "Now this is interesting!" 

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Excuse me, but I believe you were looking for me?"

Harry nodded at the girl and shook her hand. She had a firm grasp, and she reminded him of someone, but he just couldn't put his finger on whom.

"I'm Harry Potter, captain of the Quidditch team."

"Oh, yeah." She grinned. "I've heard of you. That whole 'Boy Who Lived' thing gets around. I'm Elizabeth Wood." She had a light sarcastic tone.

"Wood? Any relation to Oliver Wood?"

"He's my brother if you must know."

"Ok, Elizabeth." He looked suspiciously at her.

"Oh, and please call me Lizzie, everyone else does."

"Is keeper your preferred position? That's what your brother plays."

"Yes, but I don't know what my brother would have to do with anything. If this Quidditch team is all about whom you're related to, I'd rather be on the Slytherin team."

"No, sorry, it's just that I didn't know he had a sister."

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Anyway, are we going out to the pitch so you can see me fly or are we just going to stand here like idiots?" She had sheer determination. Ginny was right, she was perfect, a spitting image of her older brother. They walked out to the Quidditch pitch with their brooms and a Quaffle.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione and Ron stood together, holding hands and looking out the narrow window in a deserted room, late that night. Hermione had found the spot earlier that day and had decided to show it to Ron that evening. It had four musty armchairs and a faded blue tapestry on the wall. It had obviously not been used for a few years, at least. Hermione was smiling, happiness radiating off of her. Ron looked anxious.

"What's wrong, Ron?" Hermione asked innocently.

"Nothing, everything is perfect. Everything is perfect as long as we're together. I love you, Hermione, more than anything else in the world." Hermione smiled at his little speech of affection.

"Oh, Ron!" She went up on tiptoe to kiss him. He was tall and skinny and almost intimidating so. Hermione kissed him and felt warm. She felt like she was going to melt. They sat down and embraced each other.

"This is the best moment of my life!" Ron told her. She smiled. This was perfect. Everything was perfect. She wished that this moment could go on forever. She was in love. She was sure of it. 

"I wish we could stay like this forever, I love you!"

"I love you more!" Ron teased.

"No I love _you_ more!" Hermione laughed. Ron loved her laugh.

"I love you more times 100!"

"I love you more times infinite!" 

"I love you more than the stars and the moon and the oceans and the mountains. The whole world could come crashing down and I'd be okay as long as I was with you!" 

"Oh, Ron, you're so sweet!" Hermione chortled.  

They kissed each other. They sat in each other's arms all night long watching the stars. The sky began to turn pink and they finally left to get some sleep. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

It had been 3 weeks since Hermione and Ron had started dating and Harry was starting to get a little sick of it. He was finally beginning to feel how Ron felt every time he looked at Viktor Krum. Every time he looked over, Ron was giving her magical flowers or chocolates or hugging her or kissing her. It seemed to Harry like a love movie from the fifties that he had seen with Hermione last summer.

Quidditch distracted him, though, thankfully. They finally had a full team. Lizzie turned out to be an excellent keeper. "Blimey," Ron had said "she's almost as good as Wood!" and he had had four people turn to him and say, "She is Wood!" Ginny, and her fellow 6th year sidekicks April and Megan were chasers. Colin Creevy and another 6th year Leo Mokerie finished off the team as beaters. 

So now, with the Quidditch team all managed and a practice schedule set up, Harry sat in the common room with nothing to do except schoolwork. He had just dug out some Potions papers when Ron and Hermione walked in and began snuggling on the couch.

"You guys really need to get a room!" Harry looked at them crossly. Ron got up as if he suddenly noticed Hermione had cooties or something. 

"Umm, sorry we didn't notice you, wanna work on Charms together, guys?"

Hermione waved it off. "Oh, I finished that ages ago! I'll just go to the library and do some reading. You two have fun!" Hermione smiled and winked at Ron and walked out.

"God, I love that woman!" Ron said to Harry, watching her leave.

"Don't we have some homework to do??"

"Yeah, I was just saying…"

"How much you _love_ Hermione and how she means _everything_ in the world to you!" Harry's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"You're just jealous that I have a girlfriend!"

"Yeah, so?" Harry stated simply. Ron looked aghast.

"You don't fancy her, _do you_?" 

There was a moment of silence.

"I don't envy you because you have _her_." Harry frowned. "I envy you because you have a _relationship_. Someone to care about you, like, companionship of some sort."  

Ron shifted, uncomfortable with where this was going. "Shall we?" he asked holding out his blank parchment and a quill.

"I'll get the book."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione walked happily down the corridor towards the library. She finally had a boyfriend, someone who really cared about her! Not to say that Viktor Krum didn't, it was just she don't feel as loved when someone is constantly calling her "Her-mo-ninny" or "Herm-on-in-yee."  

How nice it was to be loved, her life was perfect. She stopped and set down her bag so she could tie her shoe, adjusting her prefect badge out of habit. She picked up her bag and it knocked into the wall shattering her inkbottle and soaking her books. She swore loudly but no one heard her. As she was cleaning up her mess a tall blond figure walked up behind her.

"Hello, Miss Granger, fancy seeing you here."

Hermione spun on her heel to face none other than Draco Malfoy. He was wearing a black cloak and black pants underneath it, she couldn't see his shirt but a silver prefects badge identical to her own caught her eye. She flushed with anger and thoughts swiftly raced through her mind. _He bought that himself. He doesn't deserve it, piece of scum_.  

"Apparently you don't feel the need to answer me." Draco feigned hurt. "I guess I'm not worthy of your presence. I should be ashamed to be in the presence of a Mudblood like you without offering some tidings of gratitude."

"If you're trying to be funny, Malfoy, then ha, ha! There, I laughed. Now kindly get out of my way."

"And what if I don't, Hermione? What if I don't feel like moving?" A great smile of pleasure moved across his face. Hermione grabbed her wand and pointed it at him.

"I'll send you somewhere where you can't bother me!"

"Tisk, tisk, Hermione you should know that one can't cast spells in the corridors!"

"Malfoy, shut up and move!" 

He stepped out of the way. "I'll see you later, 'Mione." He smiled evilly, leaving Hermione standing there.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that afternoon, in Potions, Professor Snape had moved the class on to working with Veritaserum. Hermione was in her usual seat next to Harry and Ron, and they were chatting pleasantly. Draco sat there in a desk looking at her. Snape paired off people at random.

"Weasley and Goyle! … Potter and.... and Crabbe!" The professor sneered at Harry before continuing. "Malfoy and, oh Granger."

Malfoy got up and crossed the room to Hermione and sat down next to her. He smirked at her. She scowled. What was his problem? And why the sudden interest in her?

"Now each of you will go into one of the rooms over here, and as you have noticed you are all paired by house. The Gryffindors are to take the Veritaserum and the Slytherins will ask them anything they want. Now go!" Half of the room groaned at his words.

Draco led Hermione to one of the cubical sized rooms. Hermione reluctantly swallowed the Veritaserum and waited for him to ask her something.

"For being such a willing partner I will offer you something: once I'm done questioning you, I will give you whatever you want."

Hermione was puzzled. "What's the catch?"

"You expect just because I supposedly hate you there are strings attached?" Hermione didn't reply. Draco smiled and told her, "No, it's nothing of the sort. Whatever you want." 

Snape's voice could be heard telling them to begin. Draco pointed his wand at her and said "_Alphellervate_!" 

"So you and Weasel are going out, but do you really love him?"

"I don't really know, I've never been 'in love'. I like him, it's more of a friendly relationship." 

The words just kind of flowed out of her mouth. Why was Malfoy asking her this? And what was she saying? She was in love with Ron. She knew she was in love with him, but why wasn't the potion making her say so? It couldn't lie. Could she have been wrong? Maybe she didn't really love him. Maybe she just wanted him for security. All she knew was that she had to fight the spell; she didn't trust Malfoy.

"Do you feel anything for Potter?"

"Nothing more than I feel for Ron. Harry is just a friend and so is Ron. There was this one time that I had a faint…" Hermione clasped her hand over her mouth. Malfoy pretended not to notice.

"Who do you think is the most attractive person in school?"

"Why are you so interested in my love life, Malfoy? Planning on writing a novel about me or something?" She could finally somewhat control what she was saying.

"Just answer the question, Hermione. A deal is a deal."

"You. Everyone thinks that. Evil, oh so sexy. But you've only earned yourself one thing, but that's it. The rest you've bought with your father's money."

"Interesting you think that… what do you really think about Mr. Potter the Boy Who Got Lucky and Turned Out Famous?"

"I don't really think you should be jealous of him, Malfoy, you've got everything going for you. And he's my friend, I don't care if he was the turning point of the downfall of the Dark Lord. To me he's just Harry, my friend."

"So how far has your little artificial relationship with Weasel gone?"

"Ahh, back to my love life. If you're asking whether I've slept with him the answer is no, just a little kiss and hug here and there, but why would you care about the love life of a simple little mudblood like me?"

"I think we both know why, 'Mione."

"And what if we don't?" Hermione's voice slightly hinted scorn.

"Then something will have to been done about that. Now, what was that that you wanted?"

He leaned over to her and touched his finger to her lips. Hermione was surprised when she didn't startle. His skin was not cold, but actually quite warm. He leaned in and kissed her hard. She kissed him back and let her tongue mingle in his mouth for a second. It was like a bolt of lightning had run through her body, nothing like that ever happened with Ron. 

"Hmm, I think I know exactly what you want…"

"You lying cheating piece of shit!" Before she could slap him straight across the face, he leaned in and kissed her again. This time she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and just let herself sink into a world of pleasure. Her insides felt like she was on a muggle roller coaster. She was internally exploding… and she liked it. Draco stopped.

"You know you want me, 'Mione. You know Weasel could never give you what I could. Just remember, a deal is a deal. Anything you want. I may appear to be…" Draco trailed off and smirked then started again. "_Evil_, but I always keep my promises." Draco walked out of the small room, muttering '_Finite Incantatem_!' and leaving her standing there, stunned. 


	3. Lucky For Me

All The Pretty Little Horses

Author: Rhapsody

Chapter Summery: Ginny writes, Hermione dreams, our favorite little Cypris researches. Ron meets Ripped Leg, Sir Bloody, and Squony the Pony!

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Note: This story was written before the release of Order of the Pheonix. It does not reflect OotP canon and any characters appearing from OotP may not be in character.

"You know you want me, 'Mione. You know Weasel could never give you what I could. Just remember, a deal is a deal. Anything you want. I may appear to be…" Draco trailed off and smirked then started again. "_Evil_, but I always keep my promises." Draco walked out of the small room, muttering '_Finite Incantatem_!' and leaving her standing there, stunned.

Chapter 2 Lucky For Me 

The torments of the heart are hard to deal with. It's the most difficult thing in the world knowing that what you want is so close and you can't have it. Sitting right next to someone who you want so deeply and knowing that they will never be yours is almost worse than death.

There you sit, right next to me. You stare blankly at the fire, occasionally commenting about something. I just sit and smile.

It seems irrational really that feeling are regarded as so secret. If there were no secrets society would be so much of a better place. It's considered almost a crime for someone to confess their feelings for someone.

It's taboo for the girl to make the first move. It's almost unheard of for the girl to be the first one to say, "I Love You." I wish it weren't that way. I want to run up to you in the corridors and pin you to the floor and tell you how much I care about you, but something is holding me back...

But it's not just society, it's me. It seems every time I start to get close to some one I push them away. It's not fair to anyone, but I don't know how to stop it. There's a wall built around me and the only thing I can do is wait for someone to come and break it down.

Ever since what happened in my first year I have carried the burden of self-disgust. Sometimes I wish I was never born, but that though scares me as well. I know that if I had never been born many of the people who my decisions have affected would be totally different people.

_Right now I guess I'm just stuck. I'm lost in my emotions. It's like a teardrop that turned into an ocean and now I'm drowning in it._

_I'm afraid to pull anyone else in. I don't want them to get lost too. But how can I not pull them in? It's all just a series of decisions that effect everyone, no matter how hard we try to contain them._

_They say if a butterfly flaps its wings in Japan it causes a tornado in South America, or something like that. I wish it didn't work that way._

I wish I could live in a jar, that way when I flap my wings I can't hurt those I care about. I wish I could protect them all from everything. But most of all I wish I could protect them from myself.

All I ask is for someone to rid me of this self hatred, someone to set me free.

Ginny looked back at the old pages of her dairy, pages devoted entirely to Harry. She laughed. She had written them with so much feeling, so much devotion to him. She always wrote better when she felt passionately about something, and one year ago she felt passionate about only two things: Quidditch and Harry. But then, there was that one section with pages about weird things. Some  mysterious blond boy. She never remembered writing them. She shivered with apprehension. She sighed and turned to that part of her dairy.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione left Potions class and ran up to an empty classroom. _What had just happened…? Why did he…? What did he want…? Why did I let him do that…? _But a little voice in her head kept going over what he had said, "You know you want me, Mione, you know Weasel could never give you what I could…" Her mind was in a whirlwind, what was she going to do? What if Ron found out?

            "DAMN IT!" she yelled "DAMN HIM! UGH!!!"

She was frustrated with him for doing this to her but she was more frustrated with herself for letting him do it to her. She threw her already broken inkbottle at the blackboard in the front of the room. Peeves appeared in front of her.

            "Is Little Miss Prefect mad about something?" He made a sad face at her.

            "LEAVE ME ALONE PEEVES!" She threw a book at him and he disappeared.

            "Ouch! That hurt!" He said sarcastically and left her alone once more.

She sat on one of the desks, mingling in a mindset of displeasure and disgust with herself. She was so wrapped up in her confusion that she didn't even notice when Cypris Moon entered the room. Cypris grinned at the frowning girl on the desk. _Ooh, Draco had done a good job at making the Granger girl upset._ Cypris tapped her on the shoulder. 

Hermione jumped. "What the hell, Peeves!" 

Cypris cocked her head back and laughed a very pompous laugh, making Hermione turn and look at her suspiciously.

"Ahh, you must be Hermione Granger. No, I'm not Peeves. I'd think you'd know who I am being that we have Astronomy, Potions, and Arithmancy together." She smirked.

"Yes, now that I think of it, you are in my Potions and Arithmancy. You're Cypris Moon, aren't you?" Hermione still looked suspicious.  

"It figures as much that you wouldn't recognize me, that whole changing forms usually confuses people. I thought you'd be smarter…"

"Oh," Hermione said, "So you're a fairy. What type are you?" 

Just then, Cypris scowled and her hair began to turn a gold color at the tips. It gradually spread up her hairline until her hair was red, like the sunset.

"See? I change forms. Anyways, I didn't come here to make friends with a Gryffindor. I came here to see why the hell Draco would want to kiss you."

"How should I know why the slimy git does things? Probably to break up my relationship with Ron, which is already as good as over, being that it's totally fake." Hermione cringed at the thought of her voice saying that she wasn't in love with Ron. She had been so sure of it.

"Temper, temper. Why are you so mad? Most girls would line up and pay to have a snog with Draco. I see you aren't one of them."

"I see you are." Hermione flashed an arrogant smile. 

"To tell you the truth, yes, I would enjoy something of the sort," Cypris confessed.  "But…" Hermione was smirking, Cypris could tell she was losing control of the conversation. 

"Continue…" Hermione prompted, but Cypris wouldn't have it.

"It's not business of yours. I don't understand why you are such an ungracious little tart, but what I do know is with an attitude like that, you can't be the mudblood Draco thinks you are." 

"Tart! You're the tart. I'm almost temped to dump you in a giant cup of tea!"

"Ouch, that hurt." Cypris said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Anyways, I must go, but first let me do something, will you?"

Hermione stepped back, "Don't touch me."

"If you aren't going to cooperate then I'll just have to hurt you worse." Cypris glared, her temper obviously mounting.

"I have a little joke for you." Hermione smiled wickedly, "How many tarts does it take to screw in a light bulb?" 

Cypris appeared un-amused. "How many?"

"It doesn't matter because if they don't leave me alone I'll hex them!" Hermione forced a cocky laugh and glared, "What don't you find my jokes funny? I have another if you'd like to hear!"  

"No!" Cypris said loudly, before composing herself. "I mean, no, I don't want to. What I want is some of your blood and you are going to give it to me, or I am going to have to extract it. And after all of your little comments, believe me, I wouldn't mind making it a painful experience for you." 

"Here then." Hermione took out a piece of parchment and a quill. She dug the quill into her finger and let a drop of blood onto the parchment. She then continued to place the tip of the quill in her blood and used it to write her name. She thrust the paper at Cypris.

"There, and I even wrote my name on it so you wouldn't forget whose blood it is. I'm sure you have quite a collection." 

Hermione picked up her books and walked out of the room pinching her finger to stop the blood flow.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry and Ron were very puzzled as to why Hermione had left so abruptly after Potions. The two were walking down a dreary looking corridor, talking. There were depressing black curtains hanging on the high walls, and the suites of armor had old bloodstains on them. Pictures of decapitated soldiers and injured horses were moaning and attempting to wave at them.

"Ick, this corridor is really disturbing…" Harry was looking around at the battle scenes depicted on the walls as the headed towards the library to look for Hermione. It was an unwritten rule about her that if she was nowhere to be found, she could be found in the library.

"Where's Hermione? I'm starting to get worried." Ron had his eyebrows scrunched together, like he did when he was thinking. 

            "Ron, you know she went to the library." Harry said.

            "Yeah, she probably did. Want to go find her?"

            "Isn't that where we were going?"

            "Oh… yeah, sorry, forgot. I was thinking about something else."

            Harry lifted an eyebrow. "Sure… What's on your mind?" 

"Maybe Hermione will want to go for a walk around the lake? It's a really nice evening and after Halloween the weather gets pretty crappy. " 

            "Yeah, Hermione would like that…" Harry commented. Ron was very, very, happy to have a girlfriend and whenever Hermione was mentioned, he either became a beaming ray of sunshine or he got all dazed and had the tendency to walk into things. But Harry obviously wasn't the only one with his mind elsewhere. 

            "The sunset will be really nice, too." Ron added. He looked over at Harry who had gotten a far off look. "You okay, mate?"

            "What? Umm, oh yeah, that's a good idea… maybe Ginny'll come too." 

            "Why the sudden interest in my sister?" Ron inquired. 

Harry straightened up, getting defensive. "She's your sister, she's Hermione's friend, why can't she be my friend too?"

            "You run up and get her, she's probably in her dormitory reading. Okay?"

            "M'kay! Meet you in the library Ron!" Harry turned back the way he and Ron had come. He left the disturbing corridor and ran the fastest route to the Gryffindor common room. Harry ran up to the portrait hole and muttered the password. He entered the common room and raced up the staircase to the girls' dorm where Ginny slept. He knocked loudly on the door.

            "Who is it?"

            "Harry. Hey, you wanna go for a walk around the lake with Ron, Hermione, and me?" 

Ginny did a double take. She stared blankly at Lizzie who was sitting on the end of her bed.

Lizzie smiled and whispered, "Answer him!" while poking her on the shoulder.

            "K, sounds great, let me grab my cloak." 

Ginny giggled. In her mind it was quite exciting that Harry had come to see her three times in the last month; he hadn't even come to see her three times in the last four years! Ginny turned to Lizzie. 

"Do you mind me running off like this?"

"Of course not!"

"Tell Megan and April that I went for a walk with Harry, if they come looking for me!" She picked up her cloak as Lizzie grabbed the _Teen Quidditch Weekly_ off the bed and headed to the door with her.

            "Do you and Harry have some sort of relationship?"

            "I'm not quite sure." 

Ginny's mind drifted back to the night where Harry had disrupted the whole tower of sleeping girls. She laughed. "I guess I'll find out later." 

She winked at Lizzie, pulled the door open, and left with Harry.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron continued down 'the corridor of severed heads', asking himself _why_ he had even taken this hallway. He then remembered that on Thursdays this was the shortest route to the library. Momentarily he would be in the library talking to Hermione. His Hermione. He walked into a suit of armor. 

"Arg! Why are yee knockin' down Sir Bloody! He is the oldest suit of armor in the seven seas, matey! Arg! I am the pirate Ripped Leg!" The pirate in the portrait shook his hooked arm at him, making Ron step back a little. 

"Erm, sorry about that, erm, Sir Blood…" Ron said apprehensively.

The little pirate told him proudly, "'Tis Sir Bloody and you'd be good to remember it, matey! He sailed the seven seas and slaughtered men and took their women as his hostages. Then he cast them out to sea, killing their children!" 

"Lovely. Umm, accomplishments that fellow had…"

"Arg! He was a brave one. Didn't fear death. Drowned wearing this suit of armor! Sunk to the bottom of the sea! He was a bloody one!" 

"Nice…" Ron said. Ripped Leg began to talk to one of his mates, momentarily forgetting about Sir Bloody.

"Ah, I see you've lost your friends so you've resorted to talking to pictures." A voice came from behind him. 

Ron wheeled around to face Draco Malfoy.

"I didn't ask the ruddy little pirate to start talking to me," Ron said, defensive.

"Who are you calling little! Land lover! You should fear me! I will come upon your port and slaughter your children!" Ripped Leg snarled, waving his hook around. He would have looked comical if he hadn't looked so angry.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't have any children. Sorry to disappoint you, Ripped Leg." Ron shot at the portrait. Ripped Leg spat at him.

"Arg! I will trample your city with my mighty steed, Squony!"

"Nice name, is he Squony the Pony?" Ron asked, grinning.

"Arg! How dare yee insult my steed!"

"Will you just shut up, Ripped Leg? What kind of a name _is_ Ripped Leg anyways?"

            "Hey, Weasel," Malfoy interrupted Ron's conversation with the pirate, "Are you done talking to the picture yet?"

            "I told you, I didn't want to talk to it!" Ron said, sounding pathetic.

"Right. Anyways, I just thought you'd like to know that I had a nice little talk with your Mudblood girlfriend during Potions. She told me loads of interesting little tidbits about her feelings!"

Ron stiffened. "What did you ask her, Malfoy?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out!" Draco taunted the other boy, obviously pleased with himself.

            "If you hurt her Malfoy, I'll kill you!" Ron was glaring. 

Malfoy just smirked. "Trust me Weasel, I wouldn't dream of hurting her." Another smile crept across his face and he left Ron there heaving with anger while Ripped Leg yelled insults.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione was all alone; she had no one to turn to. She couldn't tell Harry, and especially not Ron, about her little rendezvous with Malfoy. _Think of what they would say!_ She'd just pretend nothing ever happened, yes, that's what she would do. And why did Cypris want her blood? She knew that nothing could be done to curse her with it being as she gave it willingly… at least there were no curses anyone but an Auror could do. She turned and started walking towards the library to go study. Studying always got her mind off of her troubles.

            "Hermione! Hermione!" She heard Ron's voice behinds her. She turned around to see him running towards her very quickly. When he reached her, Ron gasped, "Are you okay?"

            "Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

            "Malfoy said you two had an interesting talk during Potions, and I wanted to make sure he didn't do anything to you." 

Hermione froze. _Damn it, Malfoy!_ the voices inside her head screamed.

            "What did he tell you?" she asked rather nervously.

            "Only that he saw you and you told him some stuff about your feelings. He wouldn't tell me anything else… he didn't hurt you did he?"

            "Oh no, he didn't do anything to me… " -- _that I didn't let him do_, she thought. "It was no big deal."

            "Good, because if he ever did anything to you, I'd kill him! I love you, Hermione!" He leaned in and kissed her gently. She pulled away. It just didn't feel right. She didn't belong with Ron, but she didn't want to hurt him.

            "Is something wrong, 'Mione?"

            "No, nothing, just don't call me 'Mione. It reminds me of something… rather unpleasant." 

            "Whatever you want, Hermione." He smiled widely. _He looks kinda like a repulsive puppy when he does that,_ she thought. _Good god! I'm even starting to think like Malfoy, what did he do to me? _

            "Oy! Ron! Hermione!" 

Harry and Ginny were running towards them, Harry smiling dumbly. Ron looked suspiciously at Harry.

"Let's go for a walk then!" Harry said. 

"Yeah, a walk sounds good." Hermione said. She grabbed Ron by the arm and they walked down the bloody corridor, passing Ripped Leg.

"Arg! Weasel! We never finished our fight! Don't run away, you coward!"

"Who's that, Ron?" Ginny giggled.

"Ahh fair miss! I am Ripped Leg the Pirate! I have sailed the seven seas! Fear me as I will trample your village with my steed Squony!"

"Oh my gosh! You are the cutest little thing in the whole wide world!" Ginny teased.

"Cute? Arg, you are wrong! I am a fierce pirate! I will rape you and kill your children!" 

"That's just what he wants us to think!" Hermione said.

"Ripped Leg, can I see your noble steed?" Ginny asked, fluttering her eyelashes. 

"Arg! Yes yee may!" Ripped leg smiled in delight. "Men, bring out Squony my noble steed!" 

Another little man ran through a door to the gallery of the ship and within a few seconds the pony was being led through a second door and out onto the deck of the little ship where Ripped Leg was beaming impatiently.

Ron laughed. "I told you it was Squony the Pony." The pony neighed in response, obviously preferring to be called "noble steed". 

"She's beautiful, Ripped Leg." Hermione commented, smiling at the little pony.

"Aye, I bought her off a sailor at a port in London and then I killed his family and left their bodies to the vultures!" Ripped Leg replied.

"I see…" Ginny said, "Well it was a pleasure, Sir Ripped Leg."

"Arg! A Sir I am not! You must be referring to Sir Bloody o'er there!"

"Oh God! Don't get him started with Sir Bloody!" Ron groaned.

"Well, we must get outside and watch that sunset before it's over." Ginny said, walking away from the picture. Ron automatically grabbed Hermione and they left the corridor, Ginny and Hermione saying their farewells to the pirate and promising to visit again.

"Honestly!" Ron said in undertones to Harry, "The girls act like he's a gentleman. You'd think they like the gruesome little guy."  

"I think it's the whole brave adventurous pirate thing." Harry whispered back as Hermione and Ginny continued to laugh about the little pony.

They walked quickly down the stairs and through winding corridors. They waved at passing pictures, and when they got in sight of the entrance, they all broke into a run simultaneously. They ran until they reached the edge of the lake just as the sun dipped under the horizon. The cool air had settled near the ground and a light layer of fog began to appear, as if by magic, like a soft blanket covering the surface of the lake. Ron and Harry flopped to the moist ground and Ginny spread her cloak out for her and Hermione to sit on.

"Oh, sorry Hermione, I should've thought." Ron apologized.

"It's nothing." She returned absentmindedly, half because she was a tinge tired and half because she was pondering over what Cypris had wanted.

"It's a shame we missed the sunset." Ginny commented as a lock of hair fell into her face. Harry naturally brushed it away. 

"Yeah, there's always tomorrow."

"I have to study for the potions final."

They launched into discussion about how unfair Snape was, and the upcoming Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. Hermione dropped out of the conversation and was replaying the incident with Draco in her head. There they were together in a dimly lit little chamber. She closed her eyes momentarily. _I have to tell someone_, she thought, _or I'll go completely insane._

"Hermione, are you okay?" Ron looked concerned that she hadn't been talking.

She hurriedly asked Ginny to come with her, claiming they needed to discuss 'girl things', and dragged her off towards a tree under which they could sit and talk.

"What's wrong, Hermione? I've never seen you like this."

"It's a long story."

"We have all night if we need it."

"I really don't know if I can tell you about it, I'm just not sure." She was stalling, giving herself time to decide whether to share about Cypris.

"I can tell when you're lying. You want to tell me, Hermione, you're just afraid I'll tell Ron. You know I won't."

            "I know. Okay. Well, today in Potions we were working with a truth potion..."

            "Veritaserum?"

            "Yes, and I got paired with Draco Malfoy…"

            "What happened?"

            "I could tell her…" A voice came from behind them. Hermione and Ginny turned to look and saw none other than Malfoy himself. 

"But I'm not sure if you should tell the little Weaslette about our little snog. I mean, really, 'Mione, telling someone that your cheating on her brother, I thought you were smarter than that."

            "I didn't ask you to follow me here Draco, kindly leave me and Ginny alone." Hermione was coloring, and she was glad it was dark.

            "Whatever you want, a promise is a promise." He smirked at them. _He almost looks charming, _Hermione thought. Ginny frowned at her. 

"What was that about? 'A promise is a promise'? You were really snogging with him?"

            "That's what I wanted to tell you, and I wouldn't exactly put it in quite those words, but…"

            "Do you like him?"

            "I don't know Ginny, I just don't know." She answered. 

Ginny looked at her questioningly. "Tell me exactly what happened Hermione, please, then maybe I'll understand."

            "Well, in Potions, Snape partnered us off and I ended up with Draco as my partner. He kept asking me all these questions about my love life and what I really thought about people. He told me that I could have whatever I wanted and I told him I didn't know what I wanted and then he just kissed me. It was weird. But now that I think about it… I liked it." 

Hermione was close to tears by the end. She was so confused and yet, for some reason, she liked the attention from Draco. The sky darkened and Ginny lit a small fire into a jar she had summoned, a skill she had learned from Hermione. She found it ironic that at one time she had looked up to Hermione and depended on her. Now it was Hermione looking to her for advice.

            "Did he say anything else to you?" Ginny peered deep into her eyes and she could tell Hermione was just confused and she didn't want to hurt Ron, or anyone for that matter.

            "There's this one phrase that I can't shake off. He said 'You know you want me, 'Mione, you know Weasel could never give you what I could. Just remember a deal is a deal, anything you want. I may appear to be evil but I always keep my promises.' I keep replaying what he said in my head. I'm scared, Ginny!"

            "Of what?"

            "That he's right." 

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Cypris sat alone in the Slytherin girls' dormitory. Unlike the Gryffindors, the Slytherin girls had separated their room using forest green velvet curtains to ensure privacy. Her bed was open. She had taken down the curtains so she could be in view of the window. The moon peeked through the sheer black curtain that was strung delicately across her window. She sat in a black wooden chair and peered at the chess set in front of her. It was a hobby for her to solve chess puzzles. She had done it since she was a child. 

Cypris picked up a black knight and was twirling it through her fingers, the white, and clean light of the moon illuminating her jet-black hair. She bit her lip. She couldn't concentrate. She was pondering over the Granger girl.

            "What a common ugly surname, _Granger_." She said aloud to vent her frustration. She returned the knight deftly to its place upon the chessboard and got up. She stood up and slid the chair under the lip of the table. She thoughtlessly walked to the narrow window and pulled back the sheer curtain. Moonlight spilled into the room. 

            "Now. I have to do it now." She said to herself, her voice echoing eerily in the empty room.

            "Do what now?" A voice said. She turned to face Draco standing near the edge of her "room". 

            "Oh, nothing that concerns you." Cypris said cockily.

            He walked up to her and grabbed the end of her chin, his eyes boring into hers. "You're lying." 

            Cypris mock-cheered, "That's one point for team Malfoy!" 

            "I am not amused, Cypris."

            "If you didn't want to talk to me, why the devil did you come in here?"

            "I _was_ looking for Pansy, but she's obviously not here, so I guess I'll leave."

            "Don't you want to know what I'm doing?"

            "Not particularly," Draco said noncommittally.

            "Now _you're_ the one who is lying."

            "I'm not in the mood to play games."

            She smirked. "That's quite surprising. It seems to me that you came in here to play games with Pansy." 

            He sighed. "Damn it, Cypris! Can you be serious for one minute?"

            "I'm always serious. I never say anything I don't wholeheartedly mean."

            "I see… can you clarify something for me then?"

            "Maybe…"

            "What is this _thing_ you're doing that has to do with me?" 

            "First you have to tell me something."

            "What?" Draco asked sharply, irritation apparent in his voice.

            "Isn't it wrong for you to be snogging Granger one minute and Pansy the next?"

            "How do you know I snogged her?"

            "I asked her."

            "I see. Why were you talking to her?"

            "To get this!" She said triumphantly. Cypris handed him the parchment almost lazily, as if people commonly had blood stained parchment lying around.

"Nice." He said casually, glancing at it.

            "And she's a cocky little bitch, that one."

            "I see she took the liberty to write her name for you."

            "Yes, 'so I wouldn't forget who's blood it was'." Cypris sniffed. "That's unlikely."

            "I would think it'd be so you could spell her name."

            "Funny you say that, Malfoy, I was just about to do something with that." She snatched the parchment away from him and pulled out her wand.

            "What are you doing?"

            "Watch," she said. She murmured a spell over the parchment and lit the end on fire with a candle from her bedside table. Draco watched as the fire flared and went out, leaving the parchment looking as if it hadn't been touched.

            "So I was right," Cypris murmured in his ear seductively as she ran a finger down his cheekbone. "She's a pureblood, like us."   

~*~*~*~*~*~

At dinner that evening, Ron kept trying to snuggle with Hermione, but she would just turn and snap at him, "Not here, Ron! What if someone saw?" Harry and Ron were both puzzled by her sudden snootiness. Only Ginny knew about whom she was concerned. Hermione was constantly worried that Draco would come over and comment about their little meeting in front of Harry, or worse, Ron. She was totally confused about what to do. Every time she heard his name mentioned, she would turn crimson. He had been right; she wanted him, badly. 

She had tried to study that night in the common room, but even then Ron wouldn't leave her alone.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" he asked. She looked up at him. Ron did seem very concerned, as usual.

            "Just tired, I guess."

Ron leaned in to kiss her but she pulled away and claimed she wasn't in the mood. Ron left, and Harry, who had been watching them, approached her.

            Hermione let out an exasperated sigh. "I just feel like he's _smothering _me, Harry, I wish we could all just be friends again, all this girlfriend/boyfriend stuff is stressing me out." 

Harry hugged her and she started sobbing in his arms. Harry told her, "It's okay, I'll talk to Ron. I know you don't want to hurt him."  

            "Thanks, Harry," She sobbed and looked up into his green eyes. They were so deep. Hermione froze. _No, Hermione! You can't start thinking like this! First you fall in love with Draco Malfoy then the next day you are lusting over your best friend! Why I am thinking that! I'm not in love with Draco-- just because he's seductive and really sexy doesn't mean I'm in love with him! But… Harry. He's nice and his eyes are so-- Stop it Hermione!_

She had a constant problem with letting her mind wander, and wherever it wandered it always landed on Malfoy. Harry left her to go find Ron and talk to him. After a while, Hermione got up and ran into her dormitory and cried herself to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Draco did a double take. Did Cypris just say Granger was a pureblood? 

"What are you playing at?"

            "Nothing, Draco my dear, it's actually quite simple you know. Her real name can't be Granger. Stupid muggle name. She might even be related to one of us!" 

Cypris smiled as a look of disgust crossed his face, before continuing, "Lucky for me I looked up some old wizarding families with genetics like hers. The brown eyes and brown curly hair. The slim face. I have narrowed it down to three French families: Beauford, Le Soir, or Le Fay. They all also have stories of members of the family going into hiding as muggles for one reason or another. Which partially explains why your mother gave you those odd instructions." 

            "Cypris, I could almost kiss you!" Malfoy flashed one of his rare real smiles. 

            "Then why don't you?"

            "Because you're a repulsive--"

She cut him off. "Shut up!" 

He turned and was about to leave when an idea dawned on him. "Cypris, come here."

            She glared at him. "What?" 

            "A little closer…" 

Draco motioned with his finger and she stepped closer. He leaned towards her and she gasped just as he placed his lips over hers. She closed her eyes and kissed him back. He ran his hands down her back and she played with the hairs at the back of his neck. He began kissing her neck and she gasped again as he began unsnapping her bra through her shirt. She pulled away and stared at him.

            "What are you doing, Draco Malfoy!"

            "I thought this was what you wanted." A smile played at his lips.

            "You really are evil Draco, you know that, don't you?"

            "It takes one to know one."

            "Why, yes, it does…" she said grabbing him and pushing him down on her bed. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Hermione saw herself. She felt disembodied and then it downed upon her, she was dreaming. She suddenly felt a rush and she was pulled into her own body…

            ***She  sat alone in the common room. It was night. The normally bright and cheerful room was shrouded in darkness. She sat by a simmering cauldron. She was putting in the second to last ingredient when Neville Longbottom came up behind her. She turned around to see his somewhat dumpy face smiling dumbly at her.

            "Oh hello, Neville." She smiled, making him blush scarlet.

            He looked inquiring at her, "What are you doing up so late?"

            She leaned in closer so Ginny (who was having a snog with Colin Creevy on the couch) wouldn't hear. "I'm brewing a love potion. Well, not exactly a love potion but it's similar. You know love potions can only be done by extremely talented wizards and witches." She smiled before continuing, "Don't tell anyone! Especially Ron and Harry, I don't want to be ridiculed until I die…" She trailed off.

            Neville felt himself puff up with pride. He was being told something by Hermione Granger that she didn't even want her friends to know.***

            The real Hermione stirred. Even in her light sleep her thoughts were clear and concise, despite the stress she was enduring. She was swinging back and forth across the line between sleep and wakefulness. She knew one thing, though. In her normal dreams she never knew what others were thinking. She had read somewhere that memories could be stored in dreams... 

            ***"How does it work?" Neville looked anxious and yet interested.

            Hermione's eyes sparkled as she began to explain. "Well, after you add the last ingredient, you simmer until it turns a pinkish color. Then you pour it into a small vial and do the Infatuos Souliar Charm on the vial. The spell is activated when the vial is broken."

            Neville was in awe and very puzzled at the same time, "And, umm, what, umm, does the spell do?" he asked.

            Purple and pink bubbles began to float up from the brim of the pewter cauldron. Hermione picked up a small black book and paged through it until she found the dog-eared page she was searching for. She skimmed through the potion's instructions.

            "Could you hand me the small bag of fireflies? Not the large one, mind you." She asked Neville. He quickly handed her a bag and she continued. "Did you know the chemical that produces a firefly's glow also assists in instant travel?"

            The question was left unanswered as Hermione dumped the entire bag of fireflies into the cauldron, "Okay, little fireflies, just swim around in there for a while… what was that you were saying Neville?"

            "Erm, what does the spell, I mean potion do?"

            "Well it's actually a charm, but when the vial breaks the person is transported to their soul mate. They remain there until they kiss them. Then they are both transferred to where the spell was initiated together. It's harmless really, unless… Oh I won't think about the side effects if it goes wrong…" Once again she trailed off.

            She suddenly began scooping the fireflies out of the cauldron with graceful strokes and carrying them to the window to set them free. Neville decided to help and as he got up he noticed a far smaller bag of fireflies laying next to him on the ground. He silently scolded himself for his stupidity for giving her the wrong bag and to cover his error he released the small bag of fireflies out the window…***

            Hermione sat up straight in her bed. She quickly opened her bedside drawer and pulled out the purple bound dairy that Ginny had given her, and transcribed the dream onto the cream colored paper with growing concern. She assured herself it was just a dream and nothing could come of it. What does it matter if the Neville in my dream is a total dolt? But the little voice in the back of her head kept telling her it wasn't a dream... 


	4. Wet Lifeless Figure

All The Pretty Little Horses

Author: Rhapsody

Chapter Summery: Hermione and Ron break up. Hermione dreams some more. Lots of crying. Ginny makes a new friend, and Harry does Hermione a few favors. 

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The song that Hermione sings is a lullaby, source unknown.

Note: This story was written before the release of Order of the Pheonix. It does not reflect OotP canon and any characters appearing from OotP may not be in character.

Hermione sat up straight in her bed. She quickly opened her bedside drawer and pulled out the purple bound dairy that Ginny had given her, and transcribed the dream onto the cream colored paper with growing concern. She assured herself it was just a dream and nothing could come of it. What does it matter if the Neville in my dream is a total dolt? But the little voice in the back of her head kept telling her it wasn't a dream... 

Chapter 3 Lifeless Wet Figure 

            Hermione got up groggily and looked at the silver watch strung across her wrist. It read, "You should be sleeping, you need your rest, darling!" But she couldn't sleep. Hermione got up and peered through the curtains surrounding her bed, pulling on the cloak that was sitting on the chair next to her. _What is wrong with me?_ she thought as she opened the door quietly and walked down the stairs. _First the whole thing with Malfoy, then that thing with Moon, and now I'm dreaming about love potions!_ She sighed and plopped into an armchair in the common room. She pulled open the nearest window and looked at the moon. An eerie light cast onto her hair. She looked at her watch again, and this time it said, "Fine! If you are going to get up, you should know it's midnight!" Hermione leaned back in the chair and tried to clear her mind and relax. What she really wanted right now was to pop in a CD of classical music and lull off to sleep. Knowing such things weren't possible as CD players were not in a large supply at Hogwarts she supplemented by humming a lullaby that her mother had always sung to her when she was little:

            Hush a bye 

_            Don't you cry_

_            Go to sleep little baby_

_            When you wake_

_            You shall take_

_            All the pretty little horses_

_            Blacks and Bays_

            Dapples and Grays 

            Hermione suddenly recalled and laughed at the encounter of Ripped Leg and Squony the Pony. She stared off into space, her mind blank again. Tiredness swept over her swiftly like a tidal wave. She fell asleep on the armchair in the common room…

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Cypris awoke in shock. What had just happened? Had she just slept with… Draco? She smiled wickedly, _I had my first time with the most attractive guy in school._ She looked over at the figure that had fallen asleep in her bed. He looked like an angel sleeping there. Granted, a very evil and very sexy angel. She got up and approached the window.

            She had managed to involve herself in Draco's business once again. She remembered when they were seven and Draco broke up with his first girlfriend and he was blowing things up. He was so angry that when her family visited him, he had blown up her stuffed cat. Not that she had really cared. _I never liked cats anyways!_ she thought. That time she had sat in his room while he hit things with his toy broomstick. She kept telling him how pretty he was and that there would be other girls. Then he had kissed her. 

She always ended up getting involved in his love life and it always seemed to end up with them snogging each other. Like the previous year when Pansy decided she needed a religion so she converted to Christianity and gave up Draco for lent. Cypris had ended up assuring him that shagging Pansy daily wasn't a good thing, anyways, and she gave him a list of "100 Reasons Why Not to Shag Pansy". 

She smiled at the memory and approached her bedside desk. Laughing, she dug out a copy of that very same list; she had saved it to look at every time she felt jealous of Pansy.

She read aloud, "#13 She dresses like a canary on crack. #35 She shaves her entire body and she must have stubble in the weirdest places." She laughed, "#28 I think she's related to Snape, which I guess could be a plus or a minus depending on how much lubrication you like. #29 I take back #28, I think she slept with Snape, do you really want _that _much lubrication!!!!" After that, as usual, Draco had snogged her and left her. It was almost like payment for her help. But it wasn't enough.

She felt obligated to help him with Hermione, though not because she really wanted to help him, but because she wanted to keep him. She knew that the second she stepped away he would return to Pansy and she would have to cope by reading a list. The funny part of the matter was that Pansy didn't have to do anything to get Draco. She just had to be there. The unfairness of the matter burned at Cypris. Yet, when she got Draco, she got more of him than Pansy got. She got Draco's sincere thanks. Pansy got his sincere lust — if lust could be referred to as sincere. She wanted to help him sort out the Hermione business, she had to. But she was at a loss as to what to do. 

            She pulled back the curtain and looked at the moon. It always brought her inspiration. The glowing round orb in the sky, the one she was named for. She needed to do something or she would lose Draco again. Then a thought struck her like a bolt of lightning. Why not write Draco's mother? Narcissa Malfoy had always been a very intelligent lady. She would have a perfectly logical reason for Draco to do such a rash thing. 

            Cypris grabbed a quill and a bottle of ink and sat down at her chessboard. She swept away the pieces with her hand. It was not a wizard chess set. They didn't work well for chess puzzles as you couldn't take back a move and they always tried to tell you what to do. 

She smiled inwardly as she removed a piece of parchment from the shelf below the table. She began to write in her long, smooth handwriting:

_Dear Narcissa,_

_I have always been a friend of your son, Draco, and I am writing to you without his knowledge to inquire about your instructions. He informed me that he was to entice a Gryffindor girl into… things. I have run a blood test on her and she is a pureblood. But I still do not understand why he was given these instructions. Draco and I have some mutual ties now and I was hoping I could gain some knowledge that I could pass to him about her. _

_Sincerely,_

_Cypris Moon_

_Yes,_ she thought, _that sounds just fine_. _Once Mrs. Malfoy answers, I will give Draco the information and then maybe he will stay with me._ She sealed the letter with her family seal and stuck her head out the window. After clicking her tongue a few times, a raven flew into the window. She handed it the letter and watched it fly away to deliver her message.

~*~*~*~*~*~

***_Hermione, Harry, and Ron walked down the familiar corridors of Hogwarts on their way to breakfast. They were talking avidly about how Ginny and Colin had become an item. Ron was obviously very opposed to Colin dating his sister. Hermione, who was best friends with Ginny, thought they were cute together. Harry had wisely decided not to comment on the issue. They walked down the staircase and into the entrance hall. Ginny and Colin were talking quietly in the corner. Neville was searching for his wand which he had dropped somewhere. Lavender was waiting for Parvati outside the girl's bathroom. _

_They were about to enter the Great Hall when the all-too-familiar voice of Draco Malfoy was heard drawling behind them._

_"Ooh look, it's Potty, Weasel, and Mudblood!"_

_"Where are your little bodyguards, Malfoy? Did they ditch you for someone better looking?" Hermione shot at him._

_"Ouch, that really hurt my pride," Draco said sarcastically, "Especially coming from a mudblood."_

_"Can't you come up with any new names to call us, Ferret?" Harry had gone rigid and was giving Malfoy a death glare. "Or is that all you can come up with?"_

_"You really don't intimidate me, Potter." Draco said simply._

_Ron and Harry simultaneously pulled out their wands and were ready to hex Malfoy the second he opened his mouth. Malfoy took out his wand as well and disarmed them both with one sweeping motion. Ginny left Colin and walked up behind Malfoy, disarming him as well. Now all three boys stood wand-less and glared at each other. Draco came to realization that he was outnumbered so he punched Ron in the stomach and turned to leave._

_Ron fell backwards into Hermione. A small vial full of pink liquid fell out of her pocket and smashed upon the floor. There was a sound of shattering glass and pink light streaked through the room. _

_Hermione felt herself being pulled as if through a portkey and a small room appeared before her._

_It was dark so she pulled out her wand and muttered some well-chosen words and a dim light appeared at the end of her wand. She looked around at the room. It was relatively dusty and there were a few old chairs sitting around a table. Upon the table was a load of Zonko's joke stuff and a candle. She _lacarnum inflamore-ed _the tip of the candle and the room was fully illuminated. She immediately noticed a hook upon the wall with an inscription._

_"Here and only here you find,_

_What young girls dreams have created,_

_All you need to do is take the time,_

_And you will find the one you needed."_

_She peered at it for a few moments, rereading the inscription over and over in her mind. Then her gaze traveled to the hook and down the chain hanging on it. There at the end was something she recognized immediately. This was not an ordinary necklace. She knew that to find her soul mate she had to "take the time". _

_She reached out and touched the time-turner that was hung upon the hook…***_

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Hermione awoke from her dream with an ache in her neck and then she noticed that she had fallen asleep in an armchair in the common room. She suddenly forgot her pain as she remembered the dream. It had been so vivid. More so than any other dream she had ever had. She got up quickly but her cloak caught on the leg of the chair and she heard a tearing noise.

"Ugh!" she groaned as she pulled it out from under the leg of the chair and raced upstairs, past the window, where the sun could be seen peeking over the distant hilltops.

She slowly pulled open the door to her dorm and crept in silently, as so not to disturb the other sleeping girls. She walked over to her bed and pulled out the dairy and began rewriting the dream as she remembered it. As she got to the part with the time-turner her mind wandered back to memories of her 3rd year.

She and Harry had saved 2 lives, Sirius and Buckbeak. Harry had saved theirs as well, with his Patronus. She remembered scolding him for it, but she had been wrong. Her mind continued to dabble in her memories and it stopped on their first year, down the trap door in the room with the potions. She had told him he was a great wizard right before leaving him to face You-Know-Who all alone. It had been the most sincere thing she had ever remembered saying. It was true. He was a great wizard. She remembered how desperately she had wanted to go with him. She wanted so badly to help him, to be by his side. But she couldn't. She had told him he was a great wizard and left him there. She felt almost guilty. Like she had abandoned him for Ron. To pick up Ron off the giant chessboard. 

Ever since then she never really liked chess. She hadn't really liked it in the first place, but after that event it seemed like the horrible memories of abandoning Harry came flooding back to her every time she looked at a chessboard.

She cared about both Ron and Harry. She just showed her affection for Ron more openly. She suddenly felt twice as bad about abandoning him. Harry was the one who she could go to. She never told Ron about her problems. She told Harry or Ginny. Ron was just there. And it wasn't that she didn't care about him. It was just different. 

She got frustrated with herself and lied back down in her bed, her neck still aching. She didn't want to go back to sleep because with sleep came dreams. She didn't think she could handle another dream right now.

She tried to keep her mind blank as she stared up at the curtains above her. But to no avail, her mind began to wander again and it landed on what seemed to be its favorite subject lately, Draco. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry couldn't sleep. The sun was beginning to rise and the sky was turning pink. The clouds were laced with orange and the hilltops had a red tinge to them. He decided he would get up. He knew no matter how hard he tried he'd never be able to go back to sleep again. Harry got up out of bed and dug through his trunk in search of some clean clothes. He pulled out a sweater and some cords. He dressed quickly and ran his fingers through his permanently messy hair and stuffed his cloak and his Quidditch robes under the duvet on his bed and plumped them to make them look like a sleeping Harry.

He left the 7th years boy's dorm as quietly as possible and walked lazily down the staircase towards the common room. He heard a distant voice groan impatiently. He rounded the corner of the staircase just as a figure in a grey cloak passed him in a blur. He looked back after the figure as it entered the girls dorm adjacent to his own. 

Hermione. He wasn't sure why she would be up this early. But she knew she was under a lot of stress. He wanted to do something to help her. He left the common room through the portrait hole and left to go talk to Professor McGonagall. 

He was walking down the corridor absentmindedly thinking of exactly what to say when he ran into Professor Lupin. 

"Hello, Harry, you're up early, where are you headed?"

"Oh, sorry for running into you Professor, I was just going to talk to Professor McGonagall."

Lupin eyed him mildly, "I see…"

"I needed to talk to her about Hermione."

Lupin got a very strange look, "Harry, can I talk to you in my office a minute?"

Harry followed Professor Lupin to his office and sat down in a chair next to his desk. Lupin muttered something and called Professor Mcgonagall into his office as well. After a few minutes of waiting while the teachers conversed in the hallway both entered. 

"What is it you needed to tell me, Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"Well, you see, Hermione really seems to be under a lot of stress lately. She won't really admit it but I think her being crowded by Lavender and Parvati isn't helping much. When I woke up this morning I saw her leaving to common room, and I think that's where she had been sleeping. And I'm really concerned about her."

"Ah," McGonagall said, glancing at Lupin. "Well, Potter, I don't exactly see why you are telling me this. If she wants to apply for a dormitory change she can take it up with me."

"That's the problem," Harry replied. "I don't think she wants to admit that she's so stressed out. You remember in — " Harry stopped abruptly. He momentarily forgot that Professors Lupin and Dumbledore were the only 2 teachers who knew he knew about the time-turner and Harry didn't want to ruin Hermione's reputation with McGonagall.

"I think what Harry is trying to say," Lupin put in smoothly, "is that Hermione isn't the kind of person to admit that she's under a lot of pressure."

"Well, it is very caring of you to be so concerned about your friend, Potter. I believe Miss Weasley has no roommates. We will move Ms. Granger's belongings in with Miss Weasley this afternoon. They can share a dormitory." McGonagall said. 

"Thank you, I hope that'll help her. She and Ginny are very close friends."

McGonagall nodded. "I am aware of that."

"You are excused." Lupin said and Harry stood up and left.

He walked down the empty corridor and headed back to Gryffindor tower to tell Hermione the good news. He really hoped that it would lift her spirits. 

Hermione, meanwhile, was sitting in bed thinking about Draco. She was attracted to him. That much was clear. When he kissed her, it was new and exciting and wonderful! With Ron it was like a little tiny fire had been lit and she felt like liquid. But with Draco it was like a huge blaze had been set and she felt like she was on fire. She wanted him, she wanted him badly.

The little voice in her head replayed what he had said like a broken record. _You know you want me, 'Mione, you know Weasel could never give you what I could. Just remember, a deal is a deal, anything you want. I may appear to be... evil, but I always keep my promises._

But what did she want? Last night she told Harry she didn't want Ron anymore. It was true. She was sick of his sickening little snuggling, icky, puppy love. It was crap. It was nothing compared to what Draco gave her. She knew it, Draco was right. She didn't just want him, she needed him.

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks. What was she going to do? She was stuck in time. She wanted to escape to run away to another place and time where she could start over. Granted, new usually was confusing, but she didn't care. Nothing could be as confusing as her life was now…

"Hello? Hermione are you up?" A gentle voice whispered outside of her bed curtains. She cracked open the curtains to see Harry standing there looking around anxiously, obviously afraid that someone else would wake up and scream. She laughed inwardly. Ginny had told her about what had happened after Lavender and Parvati's hissy fit. About what Harry had said. Harry obviously hadn't forgotten about the ruckus he had caused.

She slipped out of her bed lightly and they left together and descended the stairs to the common room. She sat once again in the chair she had fallen asleep in. It was her favorite chair, it was especially squishy and comfortable. 

"I have a little surprise for you." Harry said brightly.

"What's that?" she asked, not looking at him. She didn't want him to know she had been crying.

"I had McGonagall agree to give you a dorm change. Your stuff will be moved this afternoon to Ginny's dormitory." He smiled.

She looked up, almost not believing what she had heard. "Oh, Harry, that's wonderful! Thank you so much! You're the best friend in the whole world!" She smiled and he noticed the splotches on her face from when she had been crying.

"You were crying." Harry commented, cocking his head to the side. She looked down at her lap and nodded as if ashamed of it. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Have you ever been attracted to someone you can't trust?" Her good mood seemed to die like a snuffed candle.

Harry shook his head. "Sorry, I don't know what to do to help you there."

"It's okay, I didn't expect you to be able to, Harry. It was more hypothetical anyways. I shouldn't dump my problems on you."

"You aren't dumping, it's fine Hermione. You can tell me anything."

"Harry," she said, "I want to break up with Ron."

"It's okay, I think he'll understand if you explain why."

A tear rolled down her cheek, and Hermione said, "That's the problem, I can't."

"What do you mean you can't? Explain why, there has to be a reason."

"You have to promise never to tell him, never."

"I won't, I promise. Is it really that bad?"

"Harry," she looked desperately at him like he was the only thing keeping her alive. "I'm in love with Draco Malfoy."

Harry's jaw dropped. Then he repeated, "You're in love, with Malfoy. Well, that's not what I expected you to say, but I know you, Hermione, and I know you think before you act. It's all going to be okay. I'll go up right now and talk to Ron. I won't tell him about 'him' I'll just tell him what you said last night."

Hermione was crying freely now, "Oh, Harry, don't. You can't! It'll crush him! I can't do that to Ron!"

Harry looked at her seriously. "Think of what will happen if you don't!"

"I know it's just…"

"Oh Hermione, it's okay." Harry said, hugging her tightly, "I'll talk to him, I'll make it okay, I promise."

Harry got up and began to ascend the stairs to his dorm to confront Ron. As Hermione watched him go, she whispered, "You're a great wizard Harry" and broke down crying.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry entered the dorm room apprehensively. He looked around. It was still very early and everyone in the room was asleep. Harry went over to Ron's bed and shook Ron's shoulder. Ron groaned and rolled over. He blinked a few times and then shook his head.

"Too early, sleepy, talk later Harry."

"Ron, I need to talk to you."

"Later…"

"It's important."

"Hold on then!" Ron said grumpily. He sat up and stretched. He yawned a couple of times and blinked again. 

"Are you ready to talk yet?"

"Yeah, sorry, I'm not a morning person."

"It's okay."

            He sat up and looked at his friend, "What's up, Harry?"

            "It's Hermione, she not doing too well."

            "Oh. Where is she? I'll go talk to her, she probably needs me to comfort her, you know how girls are." He smiled proudly.

            "No, Ron, I don't think that would help." Harry sat down and he explained what Hermione had said the previous night. Ron looked crushed, he knew in his heart Hermione didn't want to hurt him but he was still mad.

            "Why? Why is she breaking up with me?"

            "She says it's complicated and she doesn't know." Harry lied.

Hermione hadn't dumped him for no reason, Ron knew something was up. He got up abruptly and stormed out of the dorm slamming the door and waking Seamus, Dean and Neville. He was headed for entrance, he needed to take a walk. A nice _long_ walk. He stormed through the common room and he didn't even notice the crying Hermione lying on her favorite armchair by the window.

Hermione didn't even know why she was crying anymore, she just was. She saw Ron storm out of his dorm and then she knew, he would never forgive her. Ron didn't understand and he didn't even know about Draco yet. She lied there and cried and cried and she didn't notice Lizzie and Ginny entering the common room on their way to breakfast. She had stopped crying and was just sitting face in her arms looking like she had passed out.

            "What the heck is that?" Lizzie looked at the lifeless wet figure in the chair. 

            "Hermione… what happened to her? She looks… dead."

            "Hermione, wake up!" Lizzie said, shaking her gently. Hermione didn't move, she wanted to just die, right there.

            "Lizzie, let me talk to her" Ginny said quietly, sitting next to Hermione. "She already told me yesterday some of why she was upset. I'll see you at breakfast, later." 

Lizzie nodded, showing she got the picture and headed out the portrait hole.

Hermione began to cry again, "I told Harry that Ron, and then he was, and Draco, and then, then, they were and, I hate myself, I'm horrible!" 

            "Hermione, calm down, it's okay. I…I think you need to talk to Draco."

            "No, I can't, no, no, Ginny— "

            "I'll come with you."

"Ginny, what'll I say?"

"What do you feel?"

"I feel like I want to die! I just literally crushed your brothers heart with a 1000 pound truck!"

Ginny pretended to be shocked. "You ran my brother over with a truck! I didn't know it was that serious!" 

Hermione smiled weakly, "Well, not exactly."

"There's the smile I'm used to!" Ginny patted her shoulder.

"Ginny, I dumped him and I could tell he feels horrible! Oh, he'll never forgive me."

"It's just the Weasley temper, he'll get over it."

"I hope so."

"It doesn't matter now, what matters right now is you have to talk to Draco."

"I told you, Ginny, I can't!"

"I told you, you have to or I'll hex you. How does that sound?"

"I know the block to every hex you know."

"I have a wand and you happen to have left yours in your dormitory. You're going to talk to him."

"I don't want to!" Hermione whined.

"It'll make you feel better."

"Promise?"

"I promise!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

            "I hate doing this…" Ginny said to herself as she walked down the stairs near the entrance hall. She was scowling and looked like she would hit anyone who came too close. Ginny loathed playing little messenger girl, but she had to do it for Hermione. Ginny checked her pocket to ensure that she still had the note. She pulled it out of her pocket and read it to herself. Hermione had written it while Ginny was standing over her shoulder so she figured no harm would come from reading it again.

_Draco,_

_I need to talk to you. Meet me in the entrance hall ½ an hour after dinner. Don't bring Crabbe or Goyle. Ginny has been sent to deliver this note to you. I'll be waiting with her for you._

_            With love,_

_            'Mione_

Ginny refolded the letter and continued her search for Draco. She decided that being as the Slytherin dormitories were in the dungeons, she should head that way. She finally ran into Malfoy along with some other Slytherins near the dungeons.

            "Looks like the Weaslette has lost her way," one Slytherin sneered at her.

            "This is for you." Ginny said bravely, thrusting the note into Malfoy's hand. She turned and left quickly. She had to get back to Hermione and tell her she'd delivered the message. If Malfoy were to keep his word, he'd meet Hermione and Ginny after dinner near the entrance hall.

            She had reached the stairway that would bring her to the first floor when there was a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see a tall, very slim blond girl looking at her. 

            "Hello, I don't believe I know your name. Most of my comrades just refer to you as Weasley or Weaslette."

            "Why would you care what my name is?" Ginny narrowed her gaze.

            "I'm Cypris Moon. I'm a 7th year Slytherin. I'm friends with Draco and you just gave him a letter so I was wondering who you were." Cypris said innocently.

            "I'm Ginny." Ginny said reluctantly.

            "You're Hermione's friend, are you not?" 

            "Yes, I happen to be, why do you ask?"

            "Because Draco seems very interested in her lately."

            "I see…" Ginny still looked suspicious.

            "I like you, Ginny, I think we would make good friends." Cypris said honestly.

            "Why would I want to be your friend? How do I know I can trust you?"

            "Why wouldn't you be able to?"

            "Because you're a Slytherin, because our families hate each other, because you're friends with Malfoy, must I go on?"

            "You're just as cunning as Hermione." 

            "Thanks, I think…" Ginny narrowed her gaze further.

            "Well, I guess I have no reason to trust you either, then. I just thought… oh never mind, you probably have better things to do than stand here and talk to me. I guess I could always just leave you alone." Cypris sighed.

            "If you really want to talk to me, we could talk, I guess." Ginny said unenthusiastically, "I have to go back to Gryffindor tower, anyways, you could walk with."

            "Sounds great!" Cypris smiled.

            They walked a while in silence. Ginny was trying to judge whether or not to trust Cypris. She figured no harm could come from just talking to her. It's not like Ginny was stupid enough to give her any information that could be used against any of her friends.

            "So, do you play Quidditch?" Cypris asked as they climbed the staircase to the third floor. 

            "Yes, I'm on the house team."

            "What position?"

            "Chaser. You ever play?"

            "No, girls don't _usually_ play Quidditch in Slytherin. It's unladylike. I think that's bull, personally, but my opinions won't get me a spot on the team." 

            "That's sad, you have the right build for a keeper, you'd be good."

            "Thanks for the insight, not that it'll help much. Do any of your other friends play?"

            "Well, let's see… our keeper is Lizzie Wood, the other chasers are Megan and April, Colin and Leo are beaters… I'm not really friends with those two, I did go out with Colin for a while, but I'd rather not relive those memories. And, oh yeah, there's Harry, everyone is friends with him."

            Cypris laughed, "Except Slytherins."

            Ginny laughed too. "Exactly."

            Cypris and Ginny continued walking and talking until they reached the corridor that housed the Gryffindors. Ginny bade Cypris farewell and told her that she was going with Hermione to talk to Malfoy that night after dinner (she figured that Cypris would know about it by dinner) and they could talk more then.

            "Yeah, I believe Draco and Hermione will want some alone time." Cypris laughed.

            "See you, then." And with that Ginny turned down the corridor and left to go tell Hermione that she had delivered the message, and ask Hermione what she knew about Cypris Moon.

~*~*~*~*~*~


	5. About To Blow Out

All The Pretty Little Horses

Author: Rhapsody

Chapter Summery: Ron gets pissed off at the world, Draco gets pissed off at the world, Hermione gets pissed off at the world. But on the bright side, Ginny and Hermione look at pretty clothes :-) 

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Note: This story was written before the release of Order of the Pheonix. It does not reflect OotP canon and any characters appearing from OotP may not be in character.

"Yeah, I believe Draco and Hermione will want some alone time." Cypris laughed.

            "See you, then." And with that Ginny turned down the corridor and left to go tell Hermione that she had delivered the message, and ask Hermione what she knew about Cypris Moon.

Chapter 4 About To Blow Out 

            Ginny and Hermione got ready to go see Draco after dinner. Hermione tried to compose herself more by charming her hair so it wasn't so bushy. Ginny even did her make-up. Hermione sat on her bed looking at Ginny in dismay.

            Ginny glanced at Hermione and frowned. "What's wrong Herm? I can tell when you don't feel right."

            "I don't know… going through all this just to impress him, why should I need to impress him?"

            "Because he's a boy. If he reacts to you differently when you're all fancied up then we'll know if he's serious or just trying to screw up your life."

"Why are you always right, Ginny?"

"I'm not, you just think I am. Anyways, you can't just wear those robes, you need something like this!" Ginny said, pulling out a green satin dress.

"Where… did you get this?" Hermione asked in shock, fingering the delicate satin and running her fingers across the bottom hem that was lined with little gems.

"Let's just say I found a load of expensive looking fabric in the attic one time when I was up there to try and get the ghoul to shut up. I decided to take up sewing as a hobby." Ginny flashed a smile.

Hermione laughed, "You are a genius, but I'm not sure about green…"

"Not to worry." Ginny flashed another smile and opened her trunk. She began pulling out extravagant-looking dresses and dress robes. Hermione dug into the pile and started trying them on behind the dressing screen that was newly added to the room. 

After Hermione had moved in, Ginny decided that they needed to add some extra commodities to the plain room. There had already been 2 beds, a sink, and a toilet, but that was about it. Ginny somehow magicked up a full-length mirror, a dressing screen, and two wardrobes which they didn't have time to fill. 

Hermione stepped out from behind the screen wearing a black silky dress. It was strapless and very simply designed. It ran down to her knees and there was a slit up the side. Hermione looked in the mirror.

"Wow, this really makes me look pale. I look… dead. Plus, it doesn't go with my hair. What do you think?" 

"I think you should try this one." Ginny tossed her an off-the-shoulder cerulean floor-length dress. Hermione took it behind the screen and tossed the black one back out to Ginny. who flicked her wand and hung it in the wardrobe.

A few moments later, Hermione stepped out. The sleeves were long and they overlapped onto part of her hands. The dress fit her perfectly and made her look stunning. Hermione gasped at herself in the mirror. She swept her hand down the silky blue fabric and smiled meekly. She looked questioningly at Ginny. Ginny examined her for a minute before speaking.

"It looks fabulous on you, but… it almost seems like overkill for just meeting someone to talk. It looks like what you'd wear to a dinner party or a banquet. It makes you look overtly rich, um, like you're flaunting your money."

"Yeah, I agree. Can we downsize a little bit?"

Ginny dug through the pile again and produced another blue dress, one that was powder blue. It took only moments for Hermione to change and when she stepped out and looked in the mirror she couldn't help but grin. It had thin straps and was knee length. There was a hem right below the breast line and it highlighted her gentle curves.

"It's beautiful! How can you sew like this, Ginny?"

"With practice. I'd show you the first dress I ever did, but I don't think I could look at it without puking. You look really good… it's just missing something, hold on…" 

Ginny began digging again and Hermione was reminded of _Olivanders_ and spending hours finding the right wand. It seemed like it was taking hours to find the right dress. Ginny gave Hermione a dusty lavender dress to try. It was floor length and there were no hems between the neck and the bottom. It was backless and it laced up. Hermione slid it on and had Ginny tie it for her. She examined herself in the mirror. When she returned her gaze to Ginny, Ginny was smiling with delight.

"It's perfect!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

After dinner, Ginny and a more composed Hermione stood near the entrance hall waiting for Draco. Ginny wore a forest green dress that had made Hermione look "washed out". Hermione wore her purple cloak (Ginny had repaired it from the chair incident in the morning) and Ginny was clad in a black cloak. 

After the crowd had left the Great Hall, Draco stepped out of the shadows and into view; he had Cypris with him. She, of course, was dressed relatively similarly to how Ginny and Hermione were. Draco looked Hermione up and down, and he smiled. 

            "Hello 'Mione, my sweet, you look quite pretty tonight. Hello, Jenny."

            "It's Ginny!" Ginny glared at him.

            "Oh whatever. I believe you wanted to talk to me, 'Mione." He turned to address Hermione, who met him with silence.

            "Draco, that is so rude! I feel like your mother having to teach you manners! What an outrage. I'd understand you addressing Ginny like that if she were some low-income beggar girl asking for your money, but _really_." Cypris looked at Draco in disgust.

            "Now Cypris, you know I didn't mean to offend---"

            "I don't care what you meant. Apologize to Ginny."

            "Sorry Weaslette. There it's done. Now why don't you two leave us alone? 'Mione needed to talk to me, and I believe she wanted privacy."

            Hermione finally spoke, "Ginny stays. _She_," Hermione motioned to Cypris, "will leave. How about that?"

            "Oh, I don't care, I was just hoping to talk to you in private, without any distractions." Draco said sharply, obviously aiming the remark at Ginny and Cypris.

            Ginny wanted to leave anyways and she looked to Hermione who nodded showing it was okay to go.

"I'll leave you two to whatever you were planning to do, and I'll meet you in the common room later Hermione." Ginny said. She left with Cypris too, so Draco and Hermione could be alone, but little did they know they were not alone, they were being watched... 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ginny and Cypris began climbing stairs. Ginny was trying to get away from Cypris but Cypris would not stop following her. Ginny turned down horrible halls with sticky goop on the floors. She was sure Cypris would not approve of getting the junk on her shoes, but this proved to no avail. Cypris followed and was chattering endlessly. Ginny gave up and started walking towards Gryffindor tower in hopes of shaking Cypris off that way.

"Draco is so rude sometimes!" Cypris said rolling her eyes.

"Yes, I know…" Ginny remarked. She obviously wasn't in the mood to talk to the high maintenance Slytherin girl at the moment.

"I can't believe he would dare insult you like that. You are obviously of a honorable high-class pureblood family, judging from your clothing." 

"Sure, whatever. I think I'm going to go, I'm not in the mood to chat."

"Aren't you feeling well?"

"I feel a bit queasy." Ginny lied she trotted off pompously towards the Gryffindor tower. She looked back momentarily at Cypris as she entered the portrait hole. Cypris had turned to leave and was descending the staircase back to the dungeons.

_It's sad,_ Ginny thought to herself, _she isn't very bright, or is she just pretending to be dumb around me so I let my guard down. Alas Cypris, you poor misinformed soul, you do not know Ginny Weasley. I would die before I let you worm your way into my trust._

She ran back up to her room and grabbed some homework. She took it down to the couch in the common room and began her Arithmancy. She skimmed the notes she had taken in class that day. The homework was to pick two people from another house and use Arithmancy to decipher their true personality. Ginny smiled inwardly. Two people from another house. Who better to do than Draco Malfoy and Cypris Moon? 

Ginny sat there for a moment contemplating what Hermione might be saying to Malfoy right now. That she loved him? That she hated him? Ginny didn't have any idea. She didn't understand what Hermione saw in him, a Slytherin who just 5 years ago was wishing her death. Yes, he may be the hottest guy in school, but seriously, he was Malfoy!  Muggle-hating, pureblood, evil Malfoy! 

Ginny stood up and began walking back to her room to get some scratch paper for her Arithmancy. Ginny kept walking along until she bumped into, or rather walked through, Nearly Headless Nick. Cold flooded her body. She shivered violently and made eye contact with the ghost.

            "Oh hullo Ginny!"

            "Hi, umm, I'm sorry that I…"

            "Oh not to worry, not to worry, my dear, happens all the time!" Sir Nick appeared very happy.

"Well, I need to finish my homework, I'll see you later Nick." Ginny said, and walked up the stairs glumly. She was starting worry about why Malfoy would be trying to "cuddle up" with Hermione.

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Hermione turned on Draco and immediately began interrogating him. She wanted answers and she wanted them immediately. Not that she could trust that what he was telling her was the truth, but knowing the partial truth was better than not knowing anything.

"Ok, Malfoy, what's up with this kissing me thing? And since when have I been 'your sweet'?"

            "I'm just trying to give you what you want…" He smiled thinly 

            "I never said I wanted you to kiss me and ruin my relationship with Ron! And get Harry all worried about me! I've even pulled Ginny into this!" Hermione flushed red with anger.

            "Then what do you want?"

            "Why the hell does it matter?"

            "You have to talk to me, my sweet 'Mione. Tell me what you want, and you know I will give it to you!" 

            "I want you to stay away from me!"

            "Are you sure that's what you really want, because…" Draco trailed off and turned to start walking away.

            "No! Wait! I didn't mean…" Hermione frowned at her own stupidity. This was exactly what he wanted her to do and she knew it, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to just ignore him and ignore what was between them.

            "What is it, dearest?"

            "I want… I want…" 

Hermione hesitated and looked into his seductive eyes. She wanted him and they both knew it. He leaned in and kissed her hard on the mouth. The fireworks started again. She felt almost drunk but she finally knew what she had to do. She had to tell him, she had no choice, there they were in the entrance hall making out and she hadn't even told him anything yet. She knew he wouldn't fulfill his end of their little bargain until she admitted it. She pulled away from Malfoy. 

            "Draco, I want… you." 

            "I always knew you did, 'Mione, as I told you."

            "But no one must know. If anyone finds out you're dead. I'll kill you myself if I have to." She felt stupid threatening him but she knew it had to be done. 

            "Let's go find somewhere more private, 'Mione." Draco smiled at her with the same smile. She followed him down some stairs. They raced through a dark corridor and Hermione felt her heart racing. She wanted this and she was going to get it. It was comforting and yet disturbing. But at the moment it didn't matter all that mattered was that she wanted to be kissing Draco. 

He muttered a password and pulled open the door to the Slytherin common. Her gaze met a cold dank room. She didn't like the feel of it and she hoped this wasn't his idea of a private place.

"The Slytherin common room." Draco declared, motioning around the room. 

"Lovely…" Hermione said sarcastically.

"Not to your liking? Okay, then, the rest of the Slytherins will be returning from dinner soon, anyways. They're all too daft to know the shortcut. It's depressing that we can have a conversation and get here faster than them. Hmm, where to go? Why not my bedroom? How does that sound?" Draco began climbing a narrow staircase. He pulled open a door that said "Malfoy" on it. 

"Is this your private room?" Hermione asked him.

"Why, yes, don't you have your own room?" He asked cockily.

"I share a room with Ginny."

"Ahh, I see." He motioned for her to enter the room. She stepped in ahead of him and looked around.

The room had stone walls with a tapestry hanging over the north wall. His bed had green velvet hangings, almost identical to the crimson ones that hung on her own bed. He had a wardrobe and a bathroom like her, and he had a desk, a small fireplace, and a bookshelf.

Draco locked the door and approached Hermione slowly. Her heart began to beat faster with every step he took. Her mind started going over thoughts she had pondered over before. Was this love? Or was it just lust? Did she really care about him? Or did she just like him because she wanted a snog? She didn't know the answers to any of those questions but they were all forced out of her mind as his lips met hers and they began to kiss passionately. 

Hermione felt like she had lost all ability to move. And then she realized she had. Draco stepped back and quickly pulled out his wand and countercursed her. She stood up and looked at the figure that had cast the spell. Pansy Parkinson. 

"You stupid little Gryffindor Mudblood bitch! He's mine! Why are you trying to steal my Draco!?!" Pansy yelled. 

Hermione stepped away from Draco in disgust. She spit and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. Then she pulled out her wand and did the leglocker curse on Malfoy.

"I can't believe you! First you kiss me while I have a boyfriend, then you kiss me when you have a girlfriend! You sick son of a bitch!" Hermione yelled at him and stormed out his room.

"Thank you, Pansy," Draco glared at her, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You're welcome, darling." Pansy said, staring after Hermione avidly, obviously not picking up the sarcasm.

Draco un-cursed himself, and then he turned on Pansy. 

"You little _whore_, you really love screwing with my love life, don't you! It was pertinent that she'd FALL IN LOVE WITH ME! Then you come strolling in like you own the place and get her pissed off with me! Do you know what, Pansy? You were never anything more than a _toy_ to me. I told you I loved you all those times to get you in the sac. I LIED TO YOU! And guess what!? I not only snogged Hermione today, but I slept with Cypris last night! I am done with you Pansy! Cypris was right: you probably _did_ SLEEP WITH SNAPE! Now leave or I'll hex you, tie you up, and lock you in a closet with my pet vulture!" 

Draco was pale; he never reddened with anger like most people did. Pansy just stood there staring at him in disbelief. Then suddenly she burst out crying.

"Y-y-you l-lied t-to me? Y-you said you l-l-l-loved me…" Pansy shuddered.

"Well, I never did, and I never will, now go." Draco said, shutting the door in her face and walking over to his desk to write a letter to Hermione explaining. 

As she left he had gotten the oddest sensation. It was displeasing. Like someone had pulled a plug and the life all drained out of him like water out of a bathtub. What was wrong with him? Why should he give a lick what Granger thinks? Unless… no, he wouldn't even dare think about that possibility.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron had stood behind a staircase watching Malfoy and Hermione talk. They were so close, what was going on between them? He adjusted a pair of omniculars to focus more on them; he couldn't hear what they were saying. He continued to watch and was horrified to see Malfoy leaning in and kissing her! How dare he touch Hermione like that! He focused in on the expression on Hermione's face; she liked it! She was kissing him back! His heart felt like someone had ripped it out and flushed it down Moaning Myrtle's toilet. He sunk to the ground head in his hands. Why hadn't she just told him she didn't like him? Why did she have to leave it to this? Leave him to find her snogging with his worst enemy in the entrance hall? '_What a slut! What a cheating, little slut!_ he thought. He would think of some way to get back at her for what she did to him. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ginny had out scratch paper and at the top was scribbled:  "C Y P R I S   M O O N = 3 7 7 9 9 1   4 6 6 5". There was some figuring and then it read "Character # 3, Heart # 4, Social # 9" Ginny pulled out a reference book and used it to attempt to decipher her findings. 

She skimmed the listing for 3 and found the parts she was looking for and read them aloud. "Threes are often lucky, easygoing, rich, and highly successful, but they can also be unfocused, easily offended, and superficial."

She scribbled down that Cypris was lucky for her good looks, was rich, easily offended because of the ordeal with Malfoy, and superficial, very superficial. She was about to move onto the heart number in hopes of discovering the inner world of Cypris when Ron rushed into the room and bumped into her.

            "Ouch, Ron! Whatcha do that for?" Ginny looked into his sad eyes, "What's wrong?"

            "Hermione and Malfoy are… are…" He crumpled like a rag doll and broke down crying. Ginny felt terrible seeing he brother cry, of course, and guilt spread over her for encouraging Hermione to go talk to Draco. Ginny patted her brother's shoulder.

            "Oh Ron, you know she would never try to hurt you!"

            "Then why wouldn't she tell me? Why did she just have to run off with Malfoy like that?"

            "Ron she told me what happened, in Potions…"

            "YOU KNEW?!?" Ron suddenly burst out.

            "Hermione is my best…"

            "I hate you, Ginny! You knew and you didn't even tell your own brother!"

Rage filled him and he stormed away, plotting against both Hermione and Ginny now. _They both planned this, my own sister plotting against me! How dare she!_

Ginny sat there, astonished. She had just been trying to help people and now look what happened. She scowled. If Hermione hadn't had to run off with that retarded git Malfoy this never would have happened!

Just then the portrait hole burst open and Hermione came in, looking rather disheveled and extremely angry. 

            "Oh hullo Ginny!" she said irritably, "I'm terribly tired so I think I'll just be off to bed now!"

"Umm, Hermione," Ginny looked guilty and nervous. "Ron knows."

Hermione spun around and stared, "What?"

            "Ron saw you and Draco snogging in the entrance hall." Ginny looked at her shoes, she was terribly guilty. 

            "What!" Hermione was furious.

            "He… he…" Ginny noticed some dirt on her shoe and started rubbing the toes of her left shoe on the carpet.

            "It's all your fault!" Hermione screamed at her. "If you hadn't suggested that I go talk to him, Ron would never have known and now he hates me. Thank you very much Ginny! Goodbye!"

Hermione turned and ran off to the dorm. Ginny heard the door lock. _Well, I guess I'll be sleeping out here tonight_, she thought glumly.

            Ginny turned back to her homework but she wasn't really concentrating. She felt empty, like she was only half there. She absentmindedly wrote down numbers and letters forgetting what it all meant. She sighed, gave up, and sat staring at a random spot on the wall.

Ron came down to the common room at about midnight, and saw that Ginny was sitting on the couch. She had pulled off her shoes and socks and was trying to keep warm by the fire in the fireplace.

            "I can't believe you, Ginny!" Ron looked slightly purple, and his eyes were vaguely popping out of his head. "You don't _care_ though do you? You have no respect! I'm your brother, for shit's sake! But no! 'Ron doesn't matter, he's just my brother!' Is that what you think! You're just as bad as that little whore, Hermione!" 

He stormed out of the common room, once again, and he bumped into April and Megan. The two girls saw the angry expression on Ron's face and quickly got out of the way. Ron left, and April turned to Ginny and looked at the sad expression on her face.

            "Umm… Ginny? What's wrong, hun?"

            "Nothing..." Ginny smiled weakly, trying to cover up the insane amount of guilt she felt.

            "You would not believe it! April and I were in the corridors on our way back from Astrology and we got lost, and we ran into this gargoyle thing and we fell through it!"

            "And it turned out to be McGonagall's private office! And then Meg was like 'Is anyone in here? I'm sorry if we're interrupting' and nobody answered."

            "And you know how Madam Hooch retired last year and we had no one to teach flying or ref Quidditch?"

            "Yeah…" Ginny was interested now. Whenever she thought of Quidditch she thought of Harry, and she liked thinking about Harry. 

            "So Meg and I were in there and we heard Professor McGonagall talking to Dumbledore and they were talking about Quidditch…"

            "And you would NEVER guess who's coming back to Hogwarts to teach Quidditch?"

            Ginny laughed. "If it's Oliver Wood, Lizzie will be so mad!" 

            "Nope, it's someone else's brother…"

            "You mean brothers, Meg…"

            "Fine, brothers, and stop calling me Meg or I'll call you Ape!" 

            "Okay… Meg-an!"

            "Anyway, they're the two hottest guys in the world!" 

Ginny looked between April and Megan and laughed. "You can't mean Fred and George!" 

Their smiles widened.

            "Uh huh!" nodded April. Ginny's smile faded. Just what she needed, Fred and George around to bug her about still liking Harry, and Hermione and Ron mad at her. April and Megan left to go up to the dorm and Ginny came up with an excuse why she couldn't go up. The guilt was starting to turn into worry. Her life was not looking up.

--1/2 an hour later--

It was 12:30. Ginny still sat in the common room alone; she highly doubted she'd be getting any sleep that night. She didn't dare go back up to her dorm. She could tell Hermione wasn't asleep, and she didn't want to get injured. When Hermione got into a bad mood it was best to avoid her. Something came into the common room, as the portrait of the Fat Lady swooped open, alerting her. She turned to look at who was coming in, but Ginny couldn't see anything. She blinked and stared. A whoosh of fabric and someone –Harry -- threw off his invisibility cloak and emptied his pockets, which were full of sweets, onto a table. 

"Oh hullo Ginny, I was just getting something to eat."

"Looks like you could feed 20 Quidditch teams with that amount of food." She smiled weakly.

"Why are you still out here this late?"

"Oh… umm, well… umm, Hermione's in kind of a bad mood…" Ginny didn't want to explain the whole situation to Harry, but she ended up telling him anyway. By the time she was done, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh, Ginny, I'm so sorry. It's not your fault though, I was the one who split them up, anyway… please don't cry!" 

"But I did, Harry, I did! And now Ron and Hermione both hate me!" She cried harder and Harry wrapped his arms around her.

She could hear his steady heartbeat. She felt her tears stop and her heart raced. She could feel herself blushing. Ginny looked into Harry's emerald green eyes.

"Harry, I love you." 

Harry pulled her closer to him, he couldn't believe it. Ginny Weasley loved him. He had always felt a strong love for her. Not a brotherly love, something deeper… he just had never thought of it as love… until now. He kissed her softly on the lips and looked at her pretty hair. 

"I love you too, Ginny." 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione paced her room. She had been pacing for a few hours but she didn't notice. Her mind was racing at hyper speed. Ron knew. Malfoy was with Pansy. Pansy hated her. She had blown up at Ginny. A tinge of guilt tugged at her stomach. She realized the door was still locked and Ginny had nowhere else to sleep. She quickly unlocked the door and walked down the stairs and into the common room.

            "Ginny?" Hermione said quietly. When she got no answer, she then said louder, "Hello, Ginny… ?"

            She turned on the lights and noticed that the room was empty, but there was food on the table that previously wasn't there. She knew there was only one person who could've gotten the food: Harry. A smile played at her lips as she thought about Ginny getting the opportunity to sleep in the boy's dorm. Her smile widened as she thought of how much Ginny liked Harry. Hermione thought back to when Ginny was dating Colin Creevy. He had asked her out because he was expecting quiet little Ginny. The one thing about Ginny that very few people knew was that once she felt comfortable with someone, she let loose and she was wild.

            Hermione laughed and walked back upstairs, her mind playing at the idea of getting Ginny, but she thought against it. She opened the door to her and Ginny's dorm and laid down in her soft bed. It was almost 2:00 and she was horribly tired from the stressful day she had had. She slowly drifted off into the land of sleep

Hermione could tell she was at the edge of one of those dreams again. She had the same strange feeling as she had every time she dreamt like this. She saw a scene below her. It was Draco and Ginny… but where was she? She slowly felt herself sinking into the dream. It was like watching a film, where you aren't there, yet you feel like you are… 

_*** Ginny felt like she was being pulled through a portkey. In an instant she felt herself land back on stable ground. Surrounding her was a huge Muggle city. She looked around in awe. It was amazing. Then she noticed who was standing next to her, Draco Malfoy. _

_"What did you do, Weasley?" He gave her a piercing stare as he questioned her._

_"Nothing, Draco." She shot back at him, glaring._

_He was taken aback, no one ever called him by his first name. He didn't say anything so Ginny continued._

_"I believe it was a transport spell. Hermione was carrying one and before we were transported I heard breaking glass. It was a lo---" Ginny suddenly stopped. Hermione had explained the spell to her. It would bring you to your soul mate… no, it couldn't be Malfoy. She took on look at him and dismissed the thought._

_He gave her a look of disgust. "Yes, count on Mudblood Granger to screw up my perfectly good day."_

_Ginny stepped closer to him. "We are stranded in a Muggle city and remember, you were disarmed, but that doesn't mean I don't have my wand. I suggest you not insult my friends or I might just have to put a severe hex on you!" She turned to leave._

_"You can't just leave me here, Weasley!"_

_"Says who! You don't have your Daddy here to help you now!" And with that she turned on her heel and left._

Ginny felt herself drawn towards a large building with music playing loudly inside. She stopped and looked at herself. She was wearing a pink sweater and an old denim skirt. She had her school robes draped over her shoulders. She was also getting stares from passing Muggles. 

It was dark out, so she ducked behind a tree and quickly transfigured her clothes into a short blue mini skirt and a black tank top. She shortened her robes so they looked like a coat. She looked down at her shoes and sighed. They were old brown tennis shoes. She noticed a store at the corner of the road where Draco was still standing in shock. She pointed her wand at the window and muttered the summoning charm. A pair of black knee high boots flew through the window, shattering it, and landed by her feet. She slid them on and tossed her tennis shoes into a bush. 

_She walked up the sidewalk towards the building, which she figured to be a house, and knocked on the door. A girl with pink hair, wearing a cut-off t-shirt that said "I Love NYC!" and flared jeans answered the door. _

_"Hi!" She smiled happily, "Are you here for the party?"_

_Ginny decided she had nothing to lose. "Yeah, I'm Ginny."_

_"Oh my god! I love your accent!" the pink haired American girl said. _

_She led Ginny through the door and introduced to her a few people. After a few minutes, Ginny found herself standing with a group.. She looked over to her left and caught the eye of a blond boy. He smiled at her. She felt herself blush and she turned to a girl with cherry-red hair, named Anju, who was standing next to her._

_"Who's that?" Ginny motioned towards the boy._

_"Oh, that's Yukito. He has an older brother Nataku, Nataku is Sakura's boyfriend." Anju answered pointing towards the pink haired girl who had let Ginny in, she talked with the air of someone very important. _

_"Ok, that's Sakura with the pink hair?"_

_"Yeah, and that's Keoshi standing next to her, with the dreadlocks."_

_Ginny nodded, trying to remember the names of the people she had just met. She looked over and noticed Anju had walked away and was now whispering something to Keoshi. Keoshi laughed and turned to Ginny._

_"Ginny, come here!" She grabbed her by the arm and they went into a large bathroom. Sakura and Anju followed them.._

_Keoshi had brown hair, in dreadlocks, and was dressed in baggy pants and a shirt that said "Turn Me On" with a picture of a car underneath it. He turned and looked Ginny in the eyes quizzically._

_Keoshi began talking very quickly, "What's wrong? I can always tell when someone feels out of place. Where did you come from, anyways?" _

_Ginny frowned. She suddenly wished Colin was there, or at least that blond boy. "You wouldn't understand, you're a Muggle. I mean, umm, never mind." She stopped suddenly._

_Anju and Keoshi both smiled suddenly, but it was Anju who spoke. "I knew it! You're a witch!"_

_Ginny's eyes opened in shock. "H-how did you know?"_

_"Oh, come on, I'm not stupid. Plus, calling me a Muggle kind of blew your cover!" Anju said, and laughed as she pulled out her wand to lock the door._

_Ginny smiled, "Then you can help me…"_

_"With what?" Anju asked. "Does it involve lighting things on fire?"_

_Keoshi frowned at Anju. "No, it does not involve starting things on fire. Nothing _ever_ involves starting things on fire. I don't see why you always ask!"_

_"Camping!" Anju said triumphantly, "That involves lighting things a fire."_

_"You can't be trusted with fire, anyways." Keoshi replied._

_"You should talk," Sakura interjected. "If I recall, you were the one who started an entire book of matches on fire and melted a hole in my couch."_

_"Fine," Keoshi said, "Anyways, what was it you were saying Ginny?"_

_Ginny started magically doing her hair into a high bun and began to explain about Hermione's love spell. She was just transfiguring her skirt again when someone barged through the door._

_"What the hell?" Sakura screeched. _

_Anju and Keoshi looked at each other and simultaneously said, "Oh shit!"***_

Hermione woke up with a start and shook her head involuntarily. She had managed to even get Ginny in trouble with her stupidity. She scolded herself. She pulled out her dairy and wrote down what had happened. As she wrote she pondered over what was causing these weird dreams. She had just finished writing and was about to blow out the candle on her bedside table when she heard a click and a dark cloaked figure stepped through the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~


	6. Kissed Her Good

All The Pretty Little Horses

Author: Rhapsody

Chapter Summery: Magical messengers show up. Ginny wakes up in the boys' dormitory,  and Hermione reads some textbooks.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Note: This story was written before the release of Order of the Pheonix. It does not reflect OotP canon and any characters appearing from OotP may not be in character.

Hermione woke up with a start and shook her head involuntarily. She had managed to even get Ginny in trouble with her stupidity. She scolded herself. She pulled out her dairy and wrote down what had happened. As she wrote she pondered over what was causing these weird dreams. She had just finished writing and was about to blow out the candle on her bedside table when she heard a click and a dark cloaked figure stepped through the door.

Chapter 5 Kissed Her Good 

Hermione could feel her heart pumping in her chest. She felt like any moment it would rip itself out of her chest and land on the other side of the room it was pumping so hard. She looked over at the cloaked figure again and then quickly looked away. It wasn't moving and that was only making her more nervous. She reached for her wand on her bedside table. Her hand brushed the tip of it and it rolled off the table and hit the floor with a bang. Hermione froze.

The figure laughed. It was a feminine laugh. Hermione's dread subsided momentarily, only to come flooding back as the figure took a step closer.

"Hello, Hermione, I've been looking for you." The feminine voice cooed. 

Hermione squeaked. It knew her name, what was it going to do to her?

The figure pulled down its hood and the fear drained out of Hermione as she looked at a girl no older than thirteen. She had long brown hair and big blue eyes, and she was smiling.

"I'm terribly sorry if I scared you, Hermione. My name is Sapphire and I have come to bring you a message from the future."

Hermione stayed silent. _This can't be serious, she's only a little girl, _she thought.

"This is totally serious, and for your information I am most definitely not a little girl. I didn't think someone of your intellect would make that mistake." Sapphire looked offended. Hermione jumped. _Could this girl read minds?_

"Yes, yes Hermione I can read minds, if that's how you'd like to _think_ of it," Sapphire laughed at her own joke. "But it'd be easier if you'd just say everything then I wouldn't feel like I was prying." Sapphire looked at herself and frowned suddenly; her cloak disappeared.

Hermione gasped, "Wandless magic…"

"Yes, yes and I'm sure you are secretly wondering where I got my extraordinary powers. Actually, to be totally frank, I _know_ you're wondering where I got my powers, there is nothing secret about _that_." 

"Yes," Hermione confessed, "I'd like to know."

Sapphire suddenly turned into a spitting image of Ron and said, "Well, you're the smart one, look it up or something!" 

Hermione sat there, wide-eyed, as Sapphire returned to her ordinary shape and size. Not that she shrunk much being as she was almost Ron's height. 

Sapphire looked down at herself again and gasped at the clothes she still donned. She was wearing the same thing Ron had worn that day. 

"How could that have happened?" Sapphire said to herself and suddenly the clothes melted away revealing a medieval style forest green dress.

Hermione sat on her bed in silence, trying not to think about anything just in case Sapphire took it upon herself to read her mind.

"It is not for you that I was sent here, but you play a big part in this, Hermione. Someone is playing mind games with you, and if you follow my instructions you could gain much from these games, and perhaps save the life of your friend, Harry." 

Hermione scowled, "I know it's Draco, he's using me..."

"No!" Sapphire said rather suddenly, making Hermione start. "It is not Draco you should worry about." She paused for a second, closing her eyes and concentrating on something. 

"He can be trusted. He has a bad temper, and a bad reputation, but you may need his help if you are to do what must be done." Sapphire shook her head. "I take that back — you _will _need his help."

"I don't understand, what can I do? What are you talking about? What do you mean 'follow my instructions'? What can I do? It's Harry who's the hero! I'm not cut out for this type of things." 

"You possess powers that you don't yet comprehend, Hermione. This all may seem very big right now, but your task at the moment is very easy."

"I still don't understand." Hermione gazed with pleading eyes at Sapphire.

Sapphire smiled softly, making her look like a wise old woman, not a little girl. "Hermione, just listen. The dreams you have been having are crucial. You're smart, you have been writing them down. That is a wise thing to do. I know you have been thinking of them lately. You were troubled by one as I came in."

"Yes, but I — " Hermione started to say.

"Just listen," Sapphire said quietly. "My sisters and I can help you with this. Continue to write these dreams down, but don't dwell on them. As you will soon understand, dwelling on dreams can turn them into reality." 

Hermione nodded.

"I must go now and visit Draco. His task is much more difficult than yours. It will not only be physically difficult, but it will cause great emotional pain." 

"What does he have to do?"

"That is for him to know first. If you want to know, you will have to ask him."

Hermione nodded again.

"You have to support him, Hermione. Draco does not trust easily, you must earn his trust. You must forgive him for what he has done; he never intended to hurt you. He was just following instructions."

"Wait," Hermione gasped, "everything he's done… everything we've had together is just because he's _following instructions_? So it's not real..." Hermione looked hurt. 

"Don't be angry or hurt, Hermione. Sometimes Draco needs help learning what he wants. Give him time, Hermione, and he may surprise you."

Hermione nodded, understanding coming over her face, "As long as it's not just an act..."

"It is definitely not an act, my dear," said Sapphire smiling. "I must go, you will find that much time has passed since I arrived and you must go to breakfast. You'll need your strength, you may find yourself more hungry after having the dreams."

Hermione was about to say something in return, but before she could Sapphire was gone. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ginny woke up in the boy's dormitory curled up in Harry's bed. Harry was asleep on the floor with some blankets and pillows he'd stolen from Dean Thomas. "Oh, he won't notice 'till tomorrow morning," Harry had said. Ginny rolled over and drifted off to sleep again.

Harry had convinced her to come up to the boy's dorm, as she couldn't get into her own. Harry told her she could sleep in his bed and he'd just sleep on the floor After much protesting about those arrangements, (Ginny didn't want to make Harry have to sleep on the floor) Harry finally dragged her up the spiral staircase and kissed her good night. Seamus woke up and saw Ginny.

            "There's a girl in here!" 

Harry got up and silenced him. "Shhh! You'll wake her up!" He carried the blanket back and threw them on top of the sleeping Dean, causing him to wake with a start.

            "What the ---? Harry! What was that for! Oh… I see someone brought a girl up here! Good job, Harry, I'm proud! I believe you are the first here to — " 

Ron cut him off, his jaw working quite a while before he could say anything.

            "Harry, why is Ginny up here? You — didn't! You — and Ginny didn't…" Ron trailed off. 

Harry laughed. "No, I slept on the floor, Ron."

            "Good, 'cuz she's my sister and you know she's still really young and all…" Ron had apparently gotten over his anger with Ginny. 

            "She's sixteen, Ron, almost seventeen. You keep forgetting she's only a year younger than you. Ahh, she's so peaceful looking." He sat down on the bed next to the sleeping Ginny. Ginny stirred and he eyes fluttered open. 

            "Ohm… morning," Ginny yawned. "I had the most delightful dream." She reached up and pulled Harry into a deep kiss. 

            "I trust you slept well then." Harry was filled with a warm feeling, like he had drunken a whole tankard and a half of butterbeer. He felt almost lightheaded.

            "I would have slept better if you had been here." She patted the bed with her palm. Ran gaped at them. 

            "I thought — you said — Harry?" Ron sputtered. Ginny hopped out of bed, revealing that she was only wearing a bra and some panties.

            "You're just as overprotective as Mum," She smiled. Neville had woken up and was staring at Ginny's chest open mouthed. 

            "Umm… good morning, Ginny," he had a strange tone in his voice. Ginny pulled her shirt over her head and was looking for her pants and robes.

            "Will you stop checking her out, Neville! Oh, your robes are over here sweetie." Harry glared at Neville, who immediately covered his eyes with his hands.

Ginny turned slightly pink and continued getting dressed. The boys decided if Ginny was going to get dressed in front of them she wouldn't mind seeing them in their boxers. They hopped out of bed and started dressing. 

Within 10 minutes everyone was dressed and ready to go to breakfast. Ron had claimed he wasn't hungry and stayed in the common room, so Harry and Ginny walked hand in hand down the corridor on the way to breakfast. Draco walked up behind them.

            "Have either of you seen 'Mione?" He asked in a surprisingly neutral tone. Harry just glared at him. Even if he and Hermione had a "thing", it didn't mean he had to be Malfoy's best friend. 

            "I'd think you'd keep better track of her, Malfoy. Did you lose her? What a pity." He and Ginny walked away.

            "That was mean, Harry!" Ginny looked into his bright green eyes. 

            "He acts as if I follow Hermione around… and, oh, do stop looking at me like that Ginny."

            "Well, it was mean, though… what if it had been you looking for me? Then how would you feel?" Ginny asked. Harry's eyes glittered as he thought of the marauder's map and he suddenly grinned.

            "Well, let's see. I've had no problem finding you when I've needed you in the past. You know there are a few things you do not know about me, Miss Virginia Weasley." He had backed her against the wall and her heart was racing. 

            "Like what? Tell me something I don't know…" She smiled, playing along.

            "Well, there are the obvious things about me that everyone knows, like that I an frighteningly sexy." 

            "Oh, really," Ginny pushed his hair aside and traced her finger along the delicate lightning bolt scar on his forehead, "I hadn't ever really noticed."

            "I'd think a beautiful girl like you would be able to hunt out a sexy guy like me."

            "First the complements, then you're trying to get me in bed!" She smiled flirtingly. 

            "If I'm not mistaken, you were the one trying to get me in bed this morning."

            "And last night too!" She corrected Harry with a naughty glance.

            "So, let me get this straight: we're both agreed that we want to jump each other as soon as possible, so why don't we just go back up to the dorm…"

            "Because I'm hungry and I want some breakfast first!" Ginny kissed him lightly on the lips and pulled him off towards the Great Hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sapphire stood in Draco's room with an evil look on her face. She shut her eyes and concentrated on the Malfoy boy. He was in a corridor, apparently on the way to breakfast. Sapphire supposed he wouldn't be back for a while. Her mischievous blue eyes sparkled. She raised her hand and the wardrobe flung open. 

She walked over to it and looked inside. She ran her hands over his black school robes. Her smile widened as she noticed a box at the bottom of the wardrobe. She flicked it open and pulled out a pair of underwear.

"Well, that answers the all famous question, _boxers or briefs?_" she said aloud, tossing the blue boxers into the air. 

She dug further into the box, magically flinging Draco's multicolored underclothing all over the small room. She heard the doorknob turn and immediately turned into Hermione. She ducked quickly inside of his wardrobe.

"What the hell!" Sapphire heard Draco yell. She began to giggle.

"I heard that!" Draco grabbed the blue boxers off the ground and walked towards the wardrobe. "Pansy, is this some sort of joke? I tell you to stay out of my room, and then you come in here and mess with my boxers! Are you trying to _piss me off_?"

He ripped open the wardrobe, almost dismembering the handle. Sapphire stepped out from behind his robes. She still looked like Hermione. She gazed at him amusedly and walked a haughty circle around him.

Draco's jaw dropped, "Hermione..."

"No, I'm the queen of the Nile!" Sapphire said sarcastically, instantly morphing into Cleopatra. "Oops, sorry, I didn't mean that! I haven't visited people for a few hundred years, I think I'm getting a little rusty." She turned back into Hermione.

Draco took a step back and stared at her. What was she? Some kind of banshee? His anger took control of him. "Who are you and why the hell are you in my room?"

Sapphire morphed into Professor McGonagall, "I'm here to tell you that you have detention, for a month!"

"Why?" Draco said annoyed.

"Because," Sapphire replied, changing back to her normal self, green dress and all, "you ruined my fun!"

Draco looked at her in bewilderment, "You look like a third year!"

Sapphire paused, and then said, "I feel insulted!" She looked at him in disgust.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Sapphire," she said, curtseying with great embellishment. "And I've come to deliver you an important message from the future."

Draco laughed, "Wait, let me guess, in the future they only make briefs, so you come to rob me of my boxers." 

Sapphire became suddenly serious. "This is not a joking matter, Draco. This is about your father."

Draco's shoulders stiffened. "What about him?"

"Destiny has set up a task for you." Sapphire's gaze pierced his. "You must kill Lucius Malfoy."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione burst into the Great Hall and ran to Harry and Ginny. She was rather hysterical, but no worse than how she got before final exams. She looked as though she had dressed very fast and she was talking at 100 kilometers per hour.

"Oh, Ginny, I'm so, so sorry. Please forgive me. I was just angry with Ron. But now I have so many other things to worry about. Oh Ginny, please tell me you aren't mad."

"Hermione," Ginny said, placing a hand on Hermione's shoulder and forcing her to sit down for a moment, "It's okay. Just slow down, you need to eat something."

On cue Harry handed Hermione a piece of toast, which he had buttered while Ginny talked. 

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione continued very quickly, taking bites of toast in between phrases. "Ginny, I'm so sorry for locking you out of our dormitory," she took another bite of toast. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble for you to have her stay with you, Harry."

"No problem," Harry smiled devilishly. 

Hermione coughed, choking on a piece of toast. Ginny automatically poured her a glass of juice. She drank it slowly. Harry noticed that Hermione's hands were shaking.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" Neville was standing behind her and seemed to have noticed her shaking as well.

Hermione squeaked and dropped the glass. It shattered, splashing juice all over the four of them. Hermione started quickly picking up the pieces and muttering her apologies. 

Harry couldn't take watching his friend like this anymore. "Hermione!" he said sharply, making her look at him. "You're coming with me!"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the floor. Ginny pointed her wand at the mess and cleaned it up instantly. 

"Ha ha, forgot that I could do that!" Hermione laughed half-heartedly. 

"Must I remind you that you're a witch? That thing in your pocket is called a wand. And when you point it at things and say words, _things happen_!" Harry threw his hands into the air, as if he were surprised.

Hermione laughed genuinely. "Oh Harry, you know I didn't grow up being magical and I just seem to forget when I'm frantic, like this."

She put the remainder of the glass, which had been in her hand on the table. She was still jittery and Ginny and Harry started to walk her back to the Gryffindor tower. About half of the way there she stopped.

"Wait, can we just go to the library? I need to look something up. That's what I needed to tell you about." 

Ginny looked at Hermione questioningly, "Hermione, you're bleeding!"

Hermione looked down at her hands, "It's nothing, just a few little cuts, I'll be fine."

"We should go to the hospital wing," Harry said in concern.

"No, we don't have time, I need your help. There is something important I need to tell you," Hermione pleaded, "Trust me, I'm fine. It's not like I sprouted whiskers or anything!" 

Harry and Ginny agreed reluctantly and they set off towards the library. They followed the familiar corridor until they found the staircase leading to the fastest route to the library, which happened to pass the stairway leading to the Slytherin common room. Harry would do anything to avoid Malfoy right now, so he steered Hermione down the corridor adorned with bloody battle scenes.

"Arg," A familiar voice sounded ahead. "Where ye be goin'?" the picture asked.

"We have to go to the library," Ginny said politely, "I'm sorry, we're in a hurry. We have to go!"

Ripped Leg bid them farewell, snarling at Harry.

"That picture seems to be rather sexist," Harry commented as the entered the library, "He seems to have something against boys." 

"At least he doesn't threaten to rape you and kill your children," Ginny said. "He just insults you."

"I think he's funny," Hermione said.

Harry looked at her like she had gone mad. They stopped by the front desk and Hermione started telling them about Sapphire. Ginny just gaped at her. Harry seemed unsurprised that he was, apparently, once again in danger.

"I figured that you two had the right to know. If I hadn't been such a bitch, Ginny, you would have been there. And Harry, you are the one who is in danger. I'm not sure but this one seems difficult, very difficult."

"How is it any different than any other time someone was trying to kill me?" Harry asked wearily.

"Think about it, Harry. If you're going to try and kill someone, you'll want to finish them off before they can apparate and use magic. You'd want to do it before they could fight back. This is their last chance. I'm afraid it's not going to be as easy as it was before."

Harry sighed. "You're acting as if it _was_ a piece of cake before. You know as well as I do that it wasn't."

"That's my point," Hermione replied, "It was difficult enough before, now it's going to be worse."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Draco sauntered into the library lazily. He was hoping to get some peace and quiet. He wasn't in the mood to be bothered by Crabbe and Goyle, so he went to the one place they never ventured into, of course: the library.

He sat down at a table and began to work on his Herbology homework. He had to look up the Japanese Teapot Tree. He had gotten a book out and laid it upon the table, propping it open using his other textbooks.

He took out a quill and began to write: "_The Japanese Teapot Tree originally grew in Japan in the 1930's. They started growing when a Muggle (who is thought to have been under the influence of Muggle narcotics)_ _left an enchanted teapot on her windowsill and it fell into her lawn, sprouting there on the spot. The tree has a brown trunk and blue-green leaves. It grows fruit that are white and have handles and spouts, resembling a teapot. The fruit are commonly used in pies and taste like honey tea and yams. Many muggles believe that this tree is actually a pear tree with a disease and they commonly cut it down, out of fear that it will infect other trees. There is currently a sanctuary for endangered magical plants in Magical Tokyo. This is one of the only places to find the Japanese Teapot Tree."_

Hermione, Harry, and Ginny bustled into the library moments later. They sat down at a table in the corner or the library, hidden behind a shelf of old, nasty looking books. Draco got up and approached them cautiously, for fear Hermione would lash out at him in uncontrolled rage.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, I — " Draco began. 

"No," Hermione cut him off. "I'm sorry, you didn't do anything. It's my fault."

"But let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain. There are more important things we need to talk about first."

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Hermione and Ginny sat at a small table in the corner of the library, talking in low voices. Across from them sat Draco, looking impatient, and Harry, obviously plotting ways to dispose of the Slytherin.

            Hermione suddenly looked up at Draco and asked anxiously, "What exactly did she say to you, Draco?"

"Ugh, not this again. Honestly, Hermione, why are you so obsessed with what the stupid little girl said?"

Ginny looked at him impatiently. She hated Malfoy for hurting Hermione and her brother. Although she herself doubted Ron's sanity most of the time, at least lately. She was also heavily biased towards Harry's opinions of Malfoy, especially after the previous night. 

"Listen to her, Draco. I doubt someone with your intelligence could possibly understand something like this." Ginny turned to Harry and whispered, "I think all of the hair products are corrupting his brain." 

"Shut up, Weaslette! At least I _comb_ my hair," Draco said. He glared at Harry in particular.

"Draco," Hermione looked earnestly at him.

"_Fine_, if it's so goddamn important. She said Destiny had a task for me, and I have to kill my father, but I seriously doubt she was being literal." There was a brief silence between all four of them before Draco continued on. "Come on, some freak girl breaks into my room, messed with my underclothing, and tells me to knock off my dad. Would you believe her?"

"This is very old magic we are dealing with, this is important. Why can't you see that?"

"What is there to see? Some 3rd year cracks and says some nonsense and you're getting all worked up about it."

Ginny had had enough. She pulled her wand out of her robes and pointed it at him, putting a silencing charm on him. Draco tried to speak, but no words came out, so he just crossed his arms and sat in his chair, sulking.

"That should keep him quiet," Ginny said victoriously. 

Hermione suddenly cracked a smile, "I found it! It says here: _There are five Immortals: Destiny, Prophecy, Dream, Time, and Reality. They bore three children: Ruby, Emerald, and Sapphire. Each have their own special powers and are immortal, like their kin. They inherited one trait from each of their elders. Ruby, the oldest, has the greatest power. She has mysterious red eyes and black hair. She has the ability to enter people's minds (Dream), to see the future (Prophecy), to control the sun (Time), to cause or cure any illness (Reality), and to do magic with her mind (Destiny)._" Hermione paused. 

Harry looked at her in concern. "What is it Hermione."

"This makes too much sense," She replied slowly, as if thinking about something. "Ginny, you take it." 

Ginny put on her reading glasses and took the book, "_Emerald is the middle child. She is blond with large green eyes. She posses the power to make people remember dreams (Dream), to fly (Reality), to control the moon (Time), to gift people with the art of Divination (Prophecy), and to give muggles magic (Destiny),_" Ginny stopped and eyed Hermione.

Hermione had leaned forward and was resting her head on her arm. She had her eyes shut. It looked as if she was either in immense pain, or very deep thought. She sat up.

"Wha —? Oh, I'm, umm, fine. Please continue."

Ginny picked up the book again and read the last paragraph on the page, "_Sapphire is the youngest child of the immortals. She has been known to visit people to deliver messages. She can be recognized by her brown hair and blue eyes. She has the power to change into any form (Prophecy), to read minds (Dream), to time travel (Time), to perform magic with her hands (Destiny), and to locate anyone with her mind (Reality). All three of the sisters are known to wear green dresses, and despite their ages they maintain the appearance of young _teenagers_._" Ginny sighed and tossed the book back on the table.

Hermione nodded and reached for the book. Her hand grazed Draco's and she blushed slightly, but no one noticed. 

"That was interesting," Ginny commented, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. 

"It explains a lot," Hermione added, still looking anxious.

"It explains nothing!" Harry suddenly blurted out. Everyone, including Draco, looked at him in bewilderment.

"What?" Hermione flushed and looked at him, apparently twice as anxious.

"It explains nothing," Harry repeated, "We already knew what Sapphire's powers were, and all that rubbish about her sisters is irrelevant. It tells us nothing about Draco's 'task,' if you'd call it that."

Draco was obviously trying to speak, but the silencing charm prevented his speech.

"Ahh, I see you've taken to reading fairy folklore," A voice sounded from behind a shelf of books.

Hermione leaned forward and whispered to Harry, "That's Cypris. She's very, erm, high maintenance."

Harry nodded just as the currently blond girl stepped out from behind the books and smiled cockily at them.

"Hello Ginny, Harry, Hermione." When she said Hermione's name she got a strange tone in her voice. It made Hermione nervous. "Oh, Draco! I didn't even notice you were here!"

Draco glared at her and mouthed the words "go away!"

"Who did the silencing charm? It was a very good idea."

Ginny smiled, and knowing that if Draco could speak he'd probably just hex Cypris away, she undid the charm from under the table.

Draco's smile widened, "I'm sorry you feel that way, _darling_, but I seem to have regained my ability to speak. Now," he began to speak very softly as he stood to face her, "I expect you will sod off and stay out of my business... or else." He had a threatening glint in his cold grey eyes. 

"I warn you, Draco," Cypris said in hushed tones, "I've listened to everything you have said. No matter what we do we cannot resist our Destiny. It must be fulfilled or we die in vain. Timing is everything. Remember that. Miss Le Fay over there was right, it is very old magic you are working with. Few are allowed to handle this power. Use it correctly and you could do great things. Use it incorrectly and the world may crumble." 

Draco just stared at her in wonderment. Obviously she knew something he didn't. He would find out before the end of the coming night, but for now he was lost in thought. Draco merely resumed his seat at the table.

"I bid you all good day," Cypris said with a smile as she walked away with a book in her arms.

Hermione's eyes were filled with dismay. "Are you okay, Draco? You look concerned. What did she say to you?"

Draco was shaken from his thoughts. "What? Oh… nothing. I'm fine, I'm just tired. I should go." He got up abruptly and left the library hurriedly. He looked up and down the hall, trying to see which way Cypris went. He had to find her.

Ginny looked at Hermione with an odd grin plastered on her face, "Where do you think he went?"

A glint of jealousy was recognizable in Hermione's features for a split second as she gathered her books and shoved them hastily into her bag. "I don't know, but I intend to find out," was all she said in reply before dashing out of the library.

Harry broke into a smile, "Brilliant!"

"Do you think Hermione or Malfoy suspect anything?" Ginny asked, leaning in and touching the tip of Harry's nose. 

"We kept a friendly distance, they won't suspect a thing."

Ginny grinned, "Remind me why we're keeping this a secret..."

"Because, it's more fun that way!" Harry winked and stood up, taking Ginny's hand in his and kissing her fingers one by one. 

Ginny giggled and moments later she and Harry left the library hand in hand. 

Upon the table sat two forgotten books — a black book of fairy lore and a purple bound diary. 

Ron stepped out of the shadows and picked up the two books. He opened the diary to the most recent entry. Ron's smile faded. He produced a quill and ink from his bag and began to write:  

_Mister Malfoy,_

_The plan is going well, but I fear the immortals are trying to assist your son in your downfall. He has not yet begun to follow their orders. He must be convinced it is all a joke. The immortals' third child has visited him, and the girl is having dreams of our plan. You must act quickly. The book and time turner must be planted as soon as possible. The girl will be the most vulnerable in October of last year. If all goes well, Potter will be disposed of in no time. It will be like he was never born. The time is near._

_            Sincerely,_

_            T. M. R._

~*~*~*~*~*~


	7. There’s A Shadow

All The Pretty Little Horses

Author: Rhapsody

Chapter Summery: People do naughty things in the bathroom, Draco gets depressed and thinks about good music.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The song "Yesterday" is by the wonderful Beatles.

Note: This story was written before the release of Order of the Pheonix. It does not reflect OotP canon and any characters appearing from OotP may not be in character.

_If all goes well, Potter will be disposed of in no time. It will be like he was never born. The time is near._

_            Sincerely,_

_            T. M. R._

Chapter 6 There's A Shadow 

            Cypris sat on a bench in a corridor near the dungeons. She was still and silent. She could hear Draco's footsteps behind her. He rounded the corner and was walking right towards her. His eyes were glazed over with anger and he didn't seem to have noticed she was sitting there.

Cypris laughed haughtily as he walked right past her. At the sound he spun around and glared at her.

"Cypris!"

"What, _darling_?" she said, imitating a Pansy voice.

Draco's eyes hardened. "Shut up! I'm not in the mood to be reminded of that… that… I don't want to talk to you right now!" It was obvious he had no patience.

Cypris looked at him quizzically. "Why the hell were you trying to find me if you didn't want to talk to me?"

"How did you know I was trying to find you?"

"You were following me. Remember, I have better ears than you." Cypris grinned.

"Damn you and all your kind to hell!" He retorted angrily and began to walk away.

"I wouldn't say that if I were you," Cypris said to his back.

He stopped walking, but did not turn to face her, "Why?"

"They might decide to stop helping you." Cypris noted, standing up.

He turned and looked her straight in the eye, "What?"

"Now is not the time to explain things of that manner. Meet me in my room at 9:00 and maybe then I'll consider explaining it to you." 

Cypris walked right past Draco towards the Slytherin common room. He was left standing there, her footsteps echoing in his ears.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione didn't like to admit when she was jealous, so she decided hesitantly not to search for Draco. _If he cares about me at all, he'll come find me,_ she thought. She knew that that wasn't true, and he probably didn't give a lick where she was, but she liked to tell herself that he was a better person than he really was.

She walked back towards the library angrily. Half of her hoped Harry and Ginny were still there. The other half of her hoped they weren't. She walked back up the staircase towards the library and suddenly fell through the stairs, hitting the ground in a mysterious corridor, painfully.

She cursed and looked up at where the staircase would have been if she had fallen through _normal_ stairs. She checked her watch. It was 10:39 on a Saturday. She dug through her mental stores of information.

"Damn it! The third stair from the top teleports you, Saturdays between 10:20 and 10:40. If I had only been one minute later. Now where the hell am I?" Hermione said aloud.  She looked around and noted that there weren't any tapestries or paintings. She was in a corridor she had never seen before. 

She walked hesitantly down the corridor, still cursing herself. She reached a curve in the hall and slowly followed it. It was dark, so she took out her wand and said, "_Lumos!_" The hall lit up and something flickered at the end of the corridor.

She quickened her pace and soon reached a door, it's handle glittering in the light of her wand. She grasped it and pulled. She was admitted into a small room. It had a table with chairs around it. There was a load of Zonko's joke stuff on the table. Although, it was all covered in a thick layer of dust, Hermione felt like she had been there before.

Then it hit her. This was the room from her dream. She looked around for the hook and the time turner. But there was no hook nor were there any evidence of there ever being one. 

She brushed the dust off the table and looked at the jokes. They were very similar to the things Harry and Ron frequently bought when they were there. She frowned at the thought of Ron and tried to forget about him.

Luckily, he was driven from her mind when she realized what was on the table itself. Inscribed on the square table were the names Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. She lit the candle and looked more closely at the inscriptions. It was then that she noticed a black rectangle drawn in the middle of the table.

She tapped the center of the table and said the phrase that she knew would activate whatever magic enchanted the table, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good!"

Suddenly a map, identical to the marauder's map, appeared on the tabletop. She smiled and noticed a dot labeled Draco Malfoy was standing in a corridor, which according to the map was just above her. She examined the map a little further, to discover Ginny and Harry were nowhere to be seen. 

She routed a way out of the mysterious room and got up. Hermione shrugged and tapped the tabletop again, this time saying, "Mischief managed!" which made the map clear away, leaving the table as it looked like before. She decided that she would show Harry how to get to the room the next day. He would obviously be interested. Meanwhile she followed the dark corridor through twists and turns, until she reached another door, which opened into the 4th floor east wing. 

Hermione walked down to the corridor where Draco had been standing only moments ago. After finally regaining his composure, he had started off towards his room to think. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

Draco heard Hermione call his name from behind him, but he didn't stop. Hermione began to run in his direction and saw him walking away from her. She ran up and touched his shoulder lightly.

"What?" Draco said sharply.

Hermione looked hurt. "I'm sorry. It's just you left so suddenly from the library, I mean, I was worried," She looked at her feet, not wanting to anger him further.

Draco felt the quickest pang of guilt and touched the bottom of her chin, moving her head so that he was looking her in the eyes. He looked as if he was going to say something but suddenly his hand dropped and he turned to walk away.

Hermione frowned. "Fine, Draco, just leave me here. I went through hell to find you. I fell through the bloody stairs looking for you. I'm worried about you, and you don't even care."

Draco turned to face her just in time to see a single tear roll down her cheek. He opened his mouth to speak but she had turned and run away. Guilt flooded him like a tidal wave and he found himself standing just where he had been before, unable to move. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

The afternoon was pleasant for Harry and Ginny. After they had left the library, they snuck off to Hogsmeade and had butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks. At 4:00 they had Quidditch practice for two hours.

Sweaty and a bit tired, they walked back to Gryffindor Tower. They both agreed they needed showers, so they decided to meet again in the common room that evening, at 9:00. Harry, who still knew the password to the prefect's bathroom, decided to take a bath there. He stripped down and climbed into the warm water. 

            "Ahh," Harry said aloud, "This is perfect!" He just laid there, soaking for a while.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione had run back to the Gryffindor Tower and did what she did whenever she was angry: homework. She found that when she didn't want to talk to other people she could write a hell of an essay. 

She had spend the whole afternoon writing essays and studying for exams, which were still months away. Once she had finished every possible piece of homework for the next three weeks, she decided to read one of the books that she had gotten from the library.

She was engrossed in the book when Ginny entered the common room. Ginny walked past Hermione, knowing better than to interrupt the other girl when she was reading. Ginny decided to head up to the girls' shower to wash off the dirt before her little "date" with Harry that evening.

She opened the door to the showers and heard giggling. She looked and saw two sets of robes and two book bags on a bench next to one shower. _Who would want to be showering together?_ she thought. 

She walked over to read whose clothes were on the bench. Just then a load moan emitted from the shower stall. And someone was screaming. 

            "OH YES! YES! LAVENDER! OH MY GOD YOU ARE GOOD!"

Ginny gasped at the names on the clothing labels. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. Ginny left them abruptly and ran back to the common room. Hermione was still reading by the fire. Ginny took a deep breath and interrupted Hermione's reading.

            "Oh my God! I was just in the showers and Lavender and Parvati were sharing a shower! I think they were… umm… _doing the nasty_." 

Hermione looked up and broke into fits of laughter. 

"You have to be kidding," Hermione looked wide-eyed at Ginny who shook her head, "I knew they were trying to cover something up with all of those fake little boy fetishes! Lizzie will be so glad they aren't really lusting over her brother!"

            "Maybe we shouldn't tell anyone else… think of how embarrassed they would be, they were doing _that_ in a public bathroom." Ginny now bore a look of concern.

            Hermione laughed. "They could have at least done it in the prefects bathroom or somewhere private."

            "Still, I don't think we should tell anyone."

            "Okay, agreed, we won't tell anyone. But… umm, Ginny? You smell really bad, no offense."

            "None taken. But I doubt I will be showering tonight, they seemed like they might be a while," Ginny said, smiling meekly.

            Hermione grinned, "Not to worry, use the prefects bathroom!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Ginny, now carrying towels and shampoo, headed off towards the prefects bathroom. She kept repeating the password that Hermione had given her in her head. She reached the entrance and said the password aloud. She entered the bathroom and started taking off her shirt, not even noticing the figure already in the bath. 

            "Good evening, Ginny!" 

Ginny shrieked and quickly pulled her shirt back over her head.

"So you won't be stripping for me? I'm disappointed." 

She turned around and looked to see who the person was.

            "Oh, Harry, thank god, it's just you."

            "I see you've decided a bath is a good idea as well."

            "Well, I was going to take a shower, but there was someone in there already so Hermione gave me the password so I could bathe in here."

            "I see," Harry said in a Professor McGonagall tone. "You should know that the prefects bathroom is for prefects only."

            "Look who's talking," Ginny retorted, making Harry blush.

            "Could you hand me a towel, please?" he said in response.

            Ginny cocked an eyebrow, "Getting out so soon?"

            Harry sighed, "No, it's just that I need…"

            "Why don't you get out and get your own?" Ginny gave him an evil little look.

            His eyes bore a pleading look, "Ginny, seriously…"

            "No!" She smiled wickedly and began giggling.

Harry sighed and looked at her slender body. He wanted desperately for her to strip down to nothing and hop into the bath with him. He knew Ginny was not going to get him a towel so he instructed her to turn around so he could get one himself. He wrapped it tightly around his waist and walked up right next to her and kissed her neck.

            "Now, Ginny, you wouldn't come all the way down here and not bathe, just because I'm in here now would you?" He helped her pull her shirt over her head again.

            Ginny thought for a second. "If you're going to be so modest, I had best follow suit. Turn around Mr. Potter, and if you dare look at me, I'll hex you!"

He reluctantly turned around and stayed put even though he wanted to turn around and see her standing there for the entire world to see. 

She finished removing her clothes and hopped into the bath, sighing. "Ok, Harry, I'm fine now."

            Harry turned back around. Ginny was in the bath and sadly for him, she was covered completely by colored bubbles, resting gently on the top of the water. 

Harry weighed his options. "But there's one problem… how am I supposed to bathe if you are in the bath?"

            "Cummon, Harry, I don't bite. Come in!" 

"Close your eyes then!" he said timidly. For some reason he was feeling terribly modest.

She closed her eyes and felt him slide into the bath with her and he started kissing her neck. 

She looked at him and whispered, "So this is why you wanted to bathe with me." She wrapped her arms around his neck and played with his wet hair. He started kissing lower down her neckline and she giggled.

            "Harry, that tickles!" she said, reaching around to his hips and squeezing his side. 

Harry squirmed and then stopped to look at Ginny. Her fiery hair was a darker red and it was sticking to the sides of her face. Her big chocolate eyes looked warmly back at him.

            "Ginny, you know how much I…" he began, but he was silenced by a warm kiss on his mouth. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Draco's day had been about as horrible as it possibly could be. At least that's what he thought. He had spent the afternoon sitting on the bench in the corridor, staring at the purple tapestry on the wall, wishing that he had said something to Hermione.

He couldn't stand the thought of her tears. He willed himself to forget, but a nagging little voice in his head kept saying, _Think about what you did to her, you horrible, horrible person_.

By the time he had to meet Cypris he was thoroughly depressed. He really didn't want to meet with Cypris, as it would probably lead to more things that would plague his conscience. 

Eventually he got up and went back to his room. Draco looked at the clock on his desk. It read 9:14. He changed into a black jumper and a pair of black pants. He didn't care that he was late, although he knew Cypris would be annoyed.

Draco lazily lit a fire in his fireplace, knowing he wouldn't want to have to light it when he came back. He left his room and locked the door behind him.

Cypris was standing outside of the girls' dormitory. Pansy and Millicent always went out with the 7th Year Slytherin boys on Saturday nights, and she had managed to get Blaise Zambini to agree to stay out of the room for the night. Blaise had been a good comrade of Cypris since they had started at Hogwarts. Cypris would never consider her a friend, but she was someone who Cypris liked talking to once and a while.

Cypris was getting impatient. She had seen Draco get back to the Slytherin common at quarter after nine. She didn't expect him to be on time, but she was still rather annoyed.

Draco finally climbed the stairs on the girls' side of the common room. He approached her lazily and almost sadly. Cypris gazed at him questioningly; she hadn't expected Draco to look so defeated. She had expected him to be agitated.

He followed her into her "room" and she offered him a chair. He sat down heavily. She eyed him suspiciously. 

"Who died?" she asked sarcastically.

"What?" Draco asked, looking confused, but still depressed.

"What's wrong?" Cypris asked more gently.

"I said something wrong… to Hermione. Or rather, I didn't say anything to her," Draco sighed. "Now she probably hates me. It all doesn't matter anymore, nothing else matters without her."

Cypris nodded. She was hurt by his words, because she knew he would never feel like that about her. But she was touched by the love he felt for Hermione. She decided that she needed to give him good news; not so he would have sex with her, but so he and Hermione could be happy together.

"Draco," she said gently, "I have some information for you about Hermione."

Draco just nodded.

Cypris continued, "I corresponded with your mother."

Draco looked at her, but still said nothing.

"She gave told me what I needed to know. Hermione is a pureblood witch. She is from the Le Fay family. I believe you have heard of them."

Draco still said nothing, and Cypris was starting to get agitated. 

"Bloody hell, Draco!" she shouted, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. So you hurt the little bitch's feelings! Them tell her you're sorry and stop sulking!"

"You know what?" Draco yelled back, "You've never been in a situation like this. You've never hurt someone who loves you. Why? _Because you've never had someone like Hermione._ And if you did, you'd probably lose them in an instant." 

Draco stopped yelling. "Like I did..."

"Oh, snap out of it Draco. If she loves you as much as you say, she'll forgive you for something little like this." Cypris retorted.

Draco sighed, "You don't understand, _I made her cry_."

"Fine!" Cypris replied sordidly, "Go on and feel sorry for yourself. Just don't do it around me. Get out!"

Draco got up from the chair, "Fine! I will!" he said immaturely. Draco left and went back to his room. The fire was burning brightly. The golden flames licked the air above happily. Draco watched it as he took off his shirt and shoes and lied down on his bed. 

He thought back to when he was little and he used to sit with his mother in the parlor. She had a taste for muggle music and particularly liked a group called the Beatles. Her favorite song was a depressing track called "Yesterday".  

In his mind he thought about the lyrics as he slipped off to sleep...

Yesterday, 

_All my troubles seemed so far away._

_Now it looks as though they're here to stay._

_Oh, I believe in Yesterday._

_Suddenly,_

_I'm not half the man I used to be._

_There's a shadow hanging over me._

_Oh, Yesterday came suddenly._

_Why she had to go,_

_I don't know,_

_She wouldn't say._

_I said something wrong,_

_Now I long,_

_For Yesterday._

_Yesterday,_

_Love was such an easy game to play._

_Now I need a place to hide away._

_Oh, I believe in Yesterday._

_Why she had to go,_

_I don't know,_

_She wouldn't say._

_I said something wrong,_

_Now I long,_

_For Yesterday._

_Yesterday,_

_Love was such an easy game to play._

_Now I need a place to hide away._

_Oh, I believe in Yesterday._


	8. Violated By Fate

All The Pretty Little Horses 

Author: Rhapsody

Chapter Summery: Ron isn't acting normally. Ginny meets an old acquaintance. Hermione and Harry juggle with their pasts and Hermione recites Shakespeare.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Hermione's muse is by Shakespeare.

Note: This story was written before the release of Order of the Pheonix. It does not reflect OotP canon and any characters appearing from OotP may not be in character.

_Yesterday,_

_Love was such an easy game to play._

_Now I need a place to hide away._

_Oh, I believe in Yesterday._

Chapter 7 Violated By Fate 

Hermione climbed the stairs towards her dormitory. She dragged herself into her room and crawled into bed, not even bothering to take off her clothes. She had been reading for longer than she had thought. Harry and Ginny had yet to return to Gryffindor Tower. Or at least Ginny wasn't in her room.

Hermione felt sleep taking hold of her and dragging her eyelids shut. She slowly drifted off to sleep.  

***_Draco stood in the middle of the street dumbstruck. He had just been ditched by the little Weasley. He examined his surroundings. He was in the middle of a paved road in a muggle city, wand-less._ Now what do I do?_ he asked himself silently._

_Fear flooded him. He looked around madly, the city was full of muggles. They were looking at him and gawking at his robes. He took them off. A little girl standing on the street pointed at him and yelled, "Look Mum! That boy is taking his clothing off!" Draco scowled and reluctantly decided to follow Ginny._

_He broke into a run in the direction that she had went. He saw her entering a house with very loud music coming from it. He waited about ten minutes before he walked up to the door and rang the bell. The pink haired girl, Sakura answered. _

_"Umm, hello," was all he managed to say._

_But it was enough as Sakura began talking immediately, "You must know Ginny. She's in the bathroom with the others."_

_Draco cocked an eyebrow, "Why is she in the bathroom with 'the others'?" _

_Sakura just laughed and grabbed his arm pulling him into the house. Draco scowled and muttered, "muggles" under his breath, but no one noticed._

_Ginny was in the bathroom explaining to Yukito and Nataku, with some help from Anju and Keoshi, about magic. She had suggested just doing a memory charm on the two of them, but Sakura said that the two could be trusted._

_Ginny groaned, knowing she had broken about fifty laws and would probably get put in Azkaban once she returned home._

_Moments later Sakura returned to the lavatory, dragging a very angry and very confused Draco. He glared at the group like they were criminals. He found it rather disgusting to be in the presence of so many muggles at one time. _

_Ginny seemed to be enjoying herself slightly, despite the lingering look of dismay in her eyes. She was talking amiably with a blond boy, Yukito. She was dressed in muggle clothes. Draco scowled,_ Some people have no honor. I swear, if I didn't know any better I'd say she was a mudblood.***

Hermione turned over and the scene dissolved. Her eyes popped open and she reached over to her bedside table to get her diary to write down what she had dreamt. The only thing on her table was the book she had been reading before she went to bed. She groaned and got up to check her bag.

Ginny was asleep in bed. Her curtains were still open and she was wearing her knickers and a bra. Wet towels were in a pile at the foot of her bed, but her clothes were nowhere to be found. 

Hermione went through her bag, but she didn't find the journal. She checked under her bed and around where her trunk was. She figured she had just left it in the library and would find it tomorrow. She climbed back into bed and was soon asleep again.

A new scene appeared before her eyes and she sunk into it slowly...

***_Hermione had a time-turner on a silver chain in her hand. She fingered it curiously and slid it around her neck. She slowly lifted the small hourglass and tipped it upside-down. The room around her swirled and she felt her stomach churn. _

_Then suddenly she was back in the room, but there were four boys looking at her. Her eyes widened. In front of her sat Harry. Or at least an exact look-alike of Harry._

_"H-Harry? What are you doing here?" she stuttered._

The Harry look-alike eyed her like she was mad, "I believe we should be asking you the same question." 

_Hermione shook her head, "Aren't you Harry?" she asked._

_The brown-haired boy answered instead, "I believe you are mistaken, miss. This is Prongs, and these are Padfoot and Wormtail... oh, and I am Moony."_*** 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Professor Lupin was sitting in his office sorting through the essays the sixth years had written. Despite the late hour, he had yet to retire for the night. The painting above his desk looked at him with concern.

"Isn't it a bit late, Remus?" the maiden asked him.

He smiled at her, "If I go to sleep now I will have to grade all of these tomorrow, in addition to all of the other work I have to do."

"Yes, sometimes work can be overwhelming," she commented, "But I'm off to bed. Goodnight, Remus."

"Goodnight," he replied as she walked out of the painting.

Just then there was a sharp knock on the door. Remus got up to answer it, but by the time he had risen Minerva McGonnagal was already in his office.

"Remus, we need to talk."

He nodded and offered her a seat. She sat down and placed a letter on his desk. He picked it up and looked at the name and address.

He looked at in astonishment, "This is addressed to _The Marauder's Cave_. Who gave this to you?"

Minerva smiled, "I thought you would find the address peculiar. It was not, however, as peculiar as the messenger who gave it to me."

Remus eyed her suspiciously and broke the seal on the letter. He removed it from the envelope, but he did not unfold it. He waited for her to continue.

"She had brown hair and a green dress. She identified herself as Sapphire. Do you know of her?"

"Yes," Remus said slowly, "I believe I have heard that name. But it was only in myth... I don't think she can possibly be the same person."

His voice was curious, as was his gaze. He rose and walked across the small room towards a bookshelf full of reference books. He ran his finger down the spines of a few books before removing a large black volume.

He paged through it before stopping placing his finger at the top of a paragraph and motioning for Minerva to read it.

Her eyes darted across the page, "_Sapphire is the youngest child of the immortals_... It all fits," she said finally.

Remus nodded, "Well then, I had best read this letter."

Minerva stood, "I'll leave you to your letter. If it is anything pertinent feel free to come and see me. I'll be in my office. I have yet to grade some papers."

"I must as well," he replied, "Must prepare them for their NEWTS." 

"That's our job," said Minerva as she stepped out of his office and closed the door.

Remus closed the book and returned it to his bookcase before seating himself at his desk. He shuffled a few more papers and sighed. He picked up the letter and slowly opened it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The sun peaked through the windows in the 7th year boys' dormitory. Ron had gone to bed early the previous night and sat up stretching. He rubbed his eyes and stood. He began going through his trunk in search of clothes. 

He pulled out his tie and a pair of pants. As he was removing his shirt from the jumbled mess that was his trunk, a purple bound book fell onto the floor. 

Ron picked it up and looked at it suspiciously. _Where the hell did this come from?_ he pondered, opening the book. In neat cursive it read "Hermione Granger". Ron decided that he would give it to Ginny. He was still sore about seeing Hermione and Draco together and he wasn't about to give it to her in person. 

He sat down on his bed again and tried to remember where he got the diary. He racked his brain for a few minutes, _It's like there's a hole in my memory_. He couldn't recall any of the previous day. He finally made up his mind to just give the diary to Ginny. He figured the sooner he did it the sooner he could stop thinking about Hermione, a subject that brought bile to the back of his throat. 

He left his dormitory, the door clicking softly behind him, and descended the stairs. He continued on to the dormitory that his sister and Hermione shared. He hoped Hermione wouldn't answer, for obvious reasons. And although he wasn't too keen to see his sister, he found it a better alternative to seeing his bushy haired ex-girlfriend.

Ginny responded to the rapping at the door. She open it a crack and stepped out to face her brother. She had grabbed her cloak to cover herself.

"What is it Ron?"

"I found this..." he said harshly, "It belongs to _her_." 

Ginny nodded and took the purple bound book that he had thrust at her. She turned to go back to bed. But suddenly her brother put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. His grip was unusually strong.

"You think you can just leave me?" he said.

Ginny froze, the voice that was coming from his lips wasn't the voice of her brother. She turned around to look at him and noticed a change in his face. He seemed suddenly paler and his eyes were darker. 

"Ron, what are you doing?" she asked in consternation. 

He smirked, but remained silent.

"You aren't Ron..." she said, her voice trailing off with fear.

He nodded slowly, his grin widening evilly.

Her eyes widened, "Who are you? What have you done to my brother?"

"Who am I?" he asked mockingly, "You mean you don't remember? Honestly I'm hurt. Maybe this will help spark your memory."

Suddenly his hand was around her waist and he had pulled her into a kiss. Ginny squirmed to get away. She shuddered at the thought of kissing her brother _that way_. He released her and she stepped back.

But in front of her wasn't a freckled red head. A boy the same age as her, who had black hair and cold eyes, stood before her. A chill ran down her spine.

"Tom..."

The sides of his mouth curled into a smile, "Yes, I knew _you_ would remember me." 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione awoke from her dream to find that Ginny had gone. The sun now shown brightly into their room, illuminating the light stones walls, making them have a soft glow. 

After getting dressed and packing up her books she made her way to the Great Hall for breakfast. She entered the large room hesitantly and inadvertently her eyes darted around the room in search of Draco. She approached the Gryffindor table and sat next to Harry who was looking flustered and very tired. Her dream came flooding back to her the second she looked at him.

"Harry," she said in undertones, "I had a strange dream last night that I need to discuss with you."

He cocked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Come with me," she replied, picking up a few pieces of toast and rising.

Harry got up slowly and followed her. She walked swiftly down the corridors in search of the staircase, which would lead her to the mysterious room she had been in just a day ago.

She remembered the way out of the strange room and quickly turned corners, winding quickly through the school. They were turning a corner when Hermione bumped into someone, causing her to squeak in dismay.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," she apologized to the figure.

Professor Lupin, looking about as tired as Harry, just smiled. "That is quite alright, Hermione. Although I must ask, why are you venturing this deep into the school?"

"Well, there was this room I stumbled upon yesterday that I wished to show Harry," she explained. 

The older man smiled, "Ahh, I see."

Hermione returned the smile, "I figured he would like to see it, with his dad and all..."

Professor Lupin gave a wry smile, "Hermione, perhaps it would be easier if I showed it to him. Why don't you go back to the tower?" he whispered.

"But..." Hermione started, but then stopped and nodded.

The Professor motioned for Harry to come with him and Hermione began to walk back to the Great Hall to get more toast.

Her pace began to slow as she got closer to the Hall and by the time she had entered familiar corridors she had decided just to go to the library. She walked drudgingly down the dreary corridors. The thought of talking to Harry had driven her fight with Draco out of her head, but now that she was alone her mind had begun to dwell on it. With a sigh she entered the musty smelling library and took a seat at a table. Within a few minutes she was engrossed in a book and the argument had once again fled her mind. She had read for about ten minutes without interruption when a blond haired girl approached her table. 

"Why hello Miss Granger, or should I say..."

"Go away Cypris!" Hermione snapped, not even looking up from the book.

Cypris frowned, "Fine then don't talk to me, I was just going to ask you about Drac..."

"It's not going to work on me! You may be able to lure other people into conversation, but I'm not an idiot."

Cypris gave an angry sigh, "You know what? I think I was wrong, I think you _are _a filthy little mudblood!"

Hermione finally looked up, "What?"

"I said," Cypris restated angrily, "You _are a filthy little mudblood!_"

Hermione threw her book down onto the table and stood up. She was nose to nose with Cypris. Her eyes glazed over in irritation and she opened her mouth to speak.

Cypris made a pouty face, "Oh, what's wrong? Cat got the mudblood's tongue?"

Hermione had had enough. She slapped Cypris square across the face. "Bitch!" 

Cypris gaped at her. "Well, that was quite a display. I guess I was right after all. Anyways, I need to speak with you." 

"Why would you want to talk to a mudblood like me?" Hermione snapped back, coldly. 

"Actually, that is exactly why I need to speak with you. Now if you can suck it up for 5 minutes maybe we can have civil conversation."

Hermione sighed angrily, "Fine."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Draco was still sitting in the Great Hall with a plate of food in front of him. He had nothing better to do. Cypris had run off, not that he had wanted to talk to her. Hermione was nowhere to be found. And the prospect of being with the other Slytherins wasn't terribly pleasant. He pushed a piece of bacon around on his plate with a fork. A little trail of grease was left on the plate. He stared dismally off into the distance at nothing in particular. 

Finally he got up from the table and decided to mope somewhere else. He walked through the school until he found an empty corridor. He sat on the floor next to a gargoyle, hidden from view. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione and Cypris sat glaring at each other. An angry silence had filled the space between them. Hermione waited impatiently for Cypris to tell her what she intended to tell her. 

"Well?" Hermione snapped impatiently.

Cypris sighed, "I don't know how to put this..."

"Put what? Just tell me what you came to say, so I can leave!" Hermione began tapping her foot.

"Fine," Cypris replied hotly, "I'll be frank. You aren't who you think you are!"

Hermione shut her eyes, she had heard those words before, but she couldn't remember where. "What?"

Cypris sighed, "You aren't who you think you are... You aren't a mudblood... You're one of us."

A memory hit Hermione in the stomach, like a brick.

_She was sitting in a rocking chair in her grandmother's lap. And her grandmother was talking to her in a quiet raspy voice. She was telling a story. _

_"When your mother was little, she used to look just like you. She had rosy little cheeks and a cute little smile. It is such a pity she went over to the Dark side. It wasn't her fault of course. Then she died. I do miss her, if only your father hadn't killed her. But your muggle mother is such a dear, you will probably grow up and be very happy with her. Our family had to go into hiding, after your mother betrayed the Dark Lord. After we lost your brothers your father went mad, so he took a muggle wife to raise you properly. Oh my dear little granddaughter, I wish you could understand me. I hated hiding this all from you, my Hermione," the old woman stroked the baby's wispy brown hair, "Some day you'll understand. Some day you'll find out and set things right. You are good. Your mother was good too, but she wasn't strong enough. You're strong, I can see it in your eyes."_

Realization flooded into Hermione's head. She was flooded with memories of her father. The man who she had thought to be a loving muggle. He was a wizard, a wizard who had killed her real mother. Then she thought of her mother. The kind muggle woman who had raised her. She wasn't her real mother, her real mother was dead. Dead at her father's hand. Hermione began to shake. 

Cypris eyed her looking mildly amused.

"Why are you so damn smug?" Hermione asked, still shaking.

"I don't see why you're taking it so hard," Cypris said haughtily, "You're lucky I even bothered to tell you."

"You're lucky I haven't cursed you to oblivion!" Hermione said, louder than she intended to.

Cypris edged a bit away, "Why are you overreacting?"

Hermione glared, "Overreacting? How would you react if you just found out your father killed your real mother and the lady you've been calling 'mum' is just a muggle off the streets!"

"You're mad," Cypris replied, "I didn't tell you that..."

 "You didn't have to," Hermione smiled wryly, "Goodbye Miss Moon."

Cypris seemed puzzled, "Goodbye Miss LeFay."

Hermione stood and left Cypris sitting there. _Let her be confused, I don't care, _she thought with contempt. Half of her was filled with a wretchedness that she couldn't quite describe. She suddenly understood how Harry felt. She had been violated by fate.

And yet, another half of her didn't care. She was happy for the first time she could remember. _Love and hate are very similar, _she said to herself, _I hate him and I love him. Is it that I love him because I hate him or that I hate him for making me love him?_

Hermione walked the empty corridor, the sound of her footsteps echoing in her ears. With every step a bit of anxiety seemed to shed off her, like dead skin. She didn't need to think of her family right now. That was in the past, she couldn't change it. She was more concerned with her current problems. She was in love with Draco Malfoy. Hermione continued walking the deserted hall and mused aloud.

"Ay me!" Sighing she turned a corner and began descending a staircase that would lead towards the Entrance Hall. The corridor below wasn't used very often and there were no paintings on the walls. 

"Draco... Draco... wherefore art thou Draco?" she stopped and giggled at the childishness of what she was saying, but continued nonetheless, "Deny thy father and refuse thy name, or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Granger."

She reached the bottom of the staircase and stopped, sitting upon the last step and thinking of the irony of what she was saying. 

"'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; - thou art thyself though, not a Malfoy. What's a Malfoy? It is not hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name! That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. So Draco would, were he not Draco call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title: - Draco, doff thy name; and for that name, which is no part of thee, take all myself!"

Hermione leaned her head again the cool stone wall. She shut her eyes and pretended to be standing on a balcony, richly dressed, with Draco standing below. Suddenly a chill ran down her spine as she heard someone sit down next to her. She felt warm breath against the side of her neck.

Draco's voice whispered in her ear, "I take thee at thy word: call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; henceforth I never will be Draco." 

Hermione turned her head to face him and opened her eyes. She was blushing a deep scarlet. Draco smiled and touched her cheek with his fingertips and ran his hand down her jawbone. He kissed her lightly on the mouth. She melted into him, but he pulled away.

"Shakespeare... he was a beautiful writer..." he said. She looked pleadingly at him. All she wanted was to kiss him and let all of her troubles disappear. He kissed her again and pulled away. "Speak again bright angel."

Hermione looked at him with longing. "I've lost all ability to speak," she said, kissing him with all the passion she had ever felt. Her heart soared away and she forgot all about her father and her conversation with Cypris. She forgot about Harry and falling through the stairs. She forgot everything; all she cared about was that moment, that kiss.

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Ginny wasn't accustomed to the lighting of the dark chamber. She hadn't wanted to follow Tom into the bathroom and down into the chamber, but it was as if some force more powerful than she had forced her there. Tom had led the way through the vast maze of pipes into the main chamber. 

            Ginny shuddered at the dried twisted body of the basilisk that was still in the main chamber. Tom led her up and behind one of the large statues to where there was a carving on the wall. He said something in parseltongue and the carving had transformed into a door. He opened it and led Ginny into a small room. It looked like an office with a small sitting room. There were a couple of couches made of what looked like leather and an armchair surrounding a fireplace. There was a desk and a bookshelf and a painting of Salazar Slytherin hanging above the desk. The entire room was covered in dust and it felt cold.

            Ginny gasped at the sight of the painting, it's cold eyes looked just like Tom's. She inhaled a hefty amount of dust and began to sneeze. Tom reached into her pocket and removed her wand. He waved it and suddenly the room was free of dust and fire was burning in the fireplace. Ginny looked at him in wonder. He had so much power.

            Tom took a seat in one of the armchairs and Ginny sat on a couch. She would have rather stood but something inside of her beckoned her to sit down. 

            "You didn't have to follow me," said the boy slyly, "why did you?" 

            Ginny shuddered, "I don't know."

            "I believe you do know, Virginia, and you aren't telling me," he replied his cold gaze falling over her.

            "I d-don't know," she repeated, meeting his gaze with her own.

            "You look at me with those eyes," said Tom, "so full of contempt, and yet you follow me here. You want something."

            "I don't want anything from you," Ginny said in a rush, "I want to go back to the Gryffindor common room and I want you to leave my brother alone. I don't know why I followed you here."

            "I'm sorry, Virginia, I am unable to fulfill your request."

            "Fine, just let me leave, Harry will be looking for me!" she pleaded.

            Tom shook his head, "Things aren't that easy. You will stay here until I tell you to leave. You followed me here when you were not wanted, and you will pay the consequences." 

            Ginny tried to get up but suddenly felt dizzy. The images in the room swam before her eyes and she felt herself slowly slip in and out of consciousness. She sat back down and suddenly everything came back into focus.

            Tom smiled evilly, "You will obey me, Virginia, I have much more power than you think. I own you." 

            Ginny nodded slowly and looked at the floor.

            "Look into my eyes, Virginia," he said slowly, "and give me what is mine."

            Ginny continued to look at the floor. Tom stood up and stood before her. He placed his hand on her chin and lifted her head so she looked directly into his eyes. Ginny stood and found herself kissing the black haired boy. She had lost all control of her body, it was as if she was a marionette. Someone else had control of the strings. 

            Ginny and Tom kissed fervently for what seemed like forever. Ginny's mind was muddled. She couldn't think, all she could do was give in to his every whim. Her brain was as cloudy as the orbs in Divination class.. But then suddenly one thought emerged into her consciousness as she pressed her body again Tom's. _She liked it._

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Harry stood alone in the common room. Hermione was gone, Ron had disappeared, and Ginny was nowhere to be found. He had checked the library and both dormitories. He suddenly remembered the Marauder's Map.

            He had just spent the morning in what Lupin told him was the Marauder's Cave. They had sat at the table in the middle of the room for a couple of hours, Harry listening to Lupin tell stories of his father like a child listening to a bedtime story.

            Lupin had told him about the times that they had spent in the forest after he had transformed. They would all run together through the tree in the dark forest, fearing nothing. 

            "It was like nothing could stop us," Lupin had said, "An animal instinct was awake in all of us. Before I had your father and Sirius and I were alone. I thought I was the only one who felt that jolt inside. But James felt it too. He told me how he felt when he transformed into Prongs he felt the same thing I felt when I transformed, except not so painful... James was like my brother... Harry, if you ever want to know anything else about your father, I'm here."

            Harry didn't know when he was going to take up the offer, but he knew he would. Professor Lupin was one of the only people who had ever offered to share things like that with him. Harry was overwhelmed with gratefulness.

            Harry climbed the stairs to retrieve the Map. He opened his trunk on dig through it until he found the old piece of parchment. He spread it out on his bed and tapped it with his wand, meanwhile swearing he was up to no good. He quickly found the dot labeled "Ginny Weasley" and noticed it had just entered Gryffindor tower. He watched as it climbed the stairs towards his dormitory and quickly whipped the map and threw it back in his trunk. 

            "Harry, I need to talk to you," said Ginny's shrill voice from outside the door.

            Harry shut his trunk and opened the door. Ginny looked very disheveled and her pupils were dilated so that the brown in her eyes was only a miniscule ring. Her robes hung off one shoulder and her tie was untied and hung around her neck. She looked expressionless. 

            "What's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned.

            "Harry, we can't be together anymore," she said simply. 

            Harry gaped at her, "What do you mean Ginny?"

            "Harry, I can't be with you anymore, no more relationship," she replied and then began crying.

            "Why? Is it Ron?" Harry asked, "If it's him I can talk to him, Ginny, he's my best mate. If he got mad--"

            "It's not Ron!" Ginny said cutting him off, "It's me!"

            "What?"

            Tears were streaming down Ginny's face, "I don't love you Harry, I never have."

            Harry's face fell, "That, that can't be true..."

            "It is!" Ginny said loudly, "I don't!"

            Harry looked at her, her pupils looked like they had consumed her irises. Tears ran steadily from her bloodshot eyes. Her hair was a mess and he cheeks looked swollen. Harry placed his hand on her shoulder.

            "I don't believe you," he said, "The Ginny Weasley I know wouldn't lie about something like that."

            She pulled away from him, "Well I did!"

            Harry frowned, "You're going to stay here and tell me what's wrong."

            "I told you!" she said, "I don't love you that's what's wrong. We can't be together anymore; it's all a lie!"

"Unless you can look me in the eyes and tell me you don't love me, I'm not going to believe you and you'll have to stay here until you're willing to tell me."

            She looked him straight in the eyes. "I don't love you!" she said, and got up and left. 

            Harry was in shock. Ginny, who he had just shared the most intimate moments of his life with had just left him, because she claimed she didn't love him. _There's something wrong, _he thought, _There's something she isn't telling me. She's hiding something and I'm going figure out what it is._

~*~*~*~*~*~

Author's Note: Thank you for reading my little piece of work thus far. It's my baby! I hope you're enjoying it!

~Miss Rhaps


	9. Crimson Snow

All The Pretty Little Horses

Author: Rhapsody

Chapter Summery: Draco gets wet and Harry talks quidditch. Draco is kissing a girl who isn't Hermione. And Fred and George make an appearance.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Note: This story was written before the release of Order of the Pheonix. It does not reflect OotP canon and any characters appearing from OotP may not be in character.

Harry was left in shock. Ginny, who he had just shared the most intimate moments of his life with had just left him, because she claimed she didn't love him. _There's something wrong, _he thought, _There's something she isn't telling me. She's hiding something and I'm going figure out what it is._

Chapter 8 Crimson Snow 

Draco lay in his bed, very contently holding a sleeping Hermione in his arms. He loved to look at people when they slept, he always had. Even Pansy was attractive when she slept. Hermione, who Draco found very attractive anyways, looked even more beautiful as she drifted softly through the land of slumber.

Her brown hair was strewn all over his chest, as if she had just fallen into place in his arms and not bothered to move. Her eyes were shut and a small smile played at her lips, which were red and swollen from kissing. Her cheeks had a light tinge of pink but her skin was fair.

Draco touched her ear lightly and ran his index finger down her cheekbone. He played with the fabric of her shirt collar, smiling. He stoked her cheek gently and ran his fingers through her hair. She smelled like vanilla. He inhaled her sweet fragrance and let his head fall back onto his pillow.

He shut his eyes and let his mind wander. It traveled down many roads. He remembered all the times he had laid in bed with Pansy. The only difference there was it was after senseless shagging; they were both sweaty and tired. Pansy usually fell asleep afterwards, and that was the only reason Draco liked to be with her. She was pretty when she slept.

Draco looked over to the figure next to him. There was Hermione, beautiful Hermione. He was suddenly repulsed with himself forever wanting to be with Pansy, even if it was meaningless. He sat up and Hermione stirred. He suddenly wanted to shower; to clean his body and wash his old self away.

But as he got up Hermione clutched his arm. "No, don't go," she said innocently before falling back asleep. Draco looked at her. Her eyes had gone shut again. He kissed her eyelids and whispered quietly into her ear, "I'll return."

He stood and pulled the curtains around his bed shut, leaving Hermione to her slumber. He knew she needed to sleep; she had seemed very unhappy when she was walking the corridors just an hour earlier. She seemed to change into a different person around him. She seemed happy, and he liked the thought of bringing her happiness. 

He removed his shirt and his trousers and threw them into a pile next to his wardrobe. He opened the wardrobe and reached into the box at the bottom removing some boxers. He took out some clean clothes and threw them over his shoulder.

Draco carried his clothing into the bathroom with him. He pulled the door shut, wincing as it creaked loudly, for he didn't want to wake Hermione. He turned on the shower and discarded his boxers, throwing them into a heap in the corner. He placed his clean clothes in a semi-neat pile by the shower.

He stepped under the hot stream of water and immediately felt his muscles relax. He leaned against the tiled wall, lost in thought. He felt dirty. He reached for a bar of soap and rubbed his body with the sliver of white soap. He covered himself in a thin layer of bubbles. He rubbed it into his skin in a desperate attempt to cleanse himself. He wished he could purge himself of all of his path relationships by magic. None of them had been innocent, like his relationship with Hermione.

When he was with Hermione he was happy. He didn't feel like the old Draco who used girls for a quick shag. With Hermione it was different. He sighed and let the water beat down on his back, rinsing away the soap. He finally got out and toweled himself off. He combed his hair and didn't bother to gel it.

In the other room, Hermione stirred. She awoke to find herself in a dark cavernous place. She was surrounded by fluffy green pillows and blankets. She spent a few minutes trying to identify her surroundings. Then she remembered that she was in Draco's room. She parted the curtains and peeked her head out. The room was empty.

She got up and straightened her shirt. Her robes were sitting on a chair by Draco's bed and she was about to put them on when she heard a door open. Draco emerged from the bathroom looking very clean. His hair was still dripping and he was wearing new clothes. She smiled at him.

"I was wondering where you were," she said quietly.

"I was just taking a shower," he replied, "I'm sorry if I worried you."

"Oh no, not at all," she said sweetly, kissing him quickly.

Their lips touched for only a second, but Draco suddenly felt full of happiness again. He loved the way Hermione felt in his arms; he wished he could keep her there forever. He kissed her forehead lightly and she laughed against his chest. She looked up at him, her eyes full of happiness. 

"I love you," she said very simply.

Draco was at a loss for words. He suddenly didn't know how to answer, or if he even should. He had never actually verbalized his feelings for her, other than their play acting only an hour previous. 

The two stood there in silence and Hermione's face fell. Had she said something wrong? What if he didn't really love her? Suddenly she felt tears welling up in her eyes, against her will. She pulled away from him and grabbed her cloak from off the chair and rushed quickly to the door.

"I have to go," she mumbled and in a flash she was out the door.

Draco stumbled over to the chair and fell into it. What had he done?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry wanted more than anything to follow Ginny, but he knew that would do no good. He couldn't approach her yet; he knew he had to wait. He looked at the large grandfather clock in the corner of the room and noted that it was about half an hour before quidditch practice.

_I'd best go get into my Quidditch robes, _he thought. _Even if Ginny isn't there, I am captain. It's still my job to run practice._

He found his broom next to his bed, right where it belonged, and carried it over his shoulder as he descended the stairs. He got into the common room and saw a couple of the younger players sitting around the fire talking. 

"It's almost time for practice!" he said halfheartedly. He needed to stay ambitious if they were to win the Quidditch cup. 

The younger Gryffindors looked at him apprehensively. They obviously noticed that something was weighing him down. Harry frowned.

"Come on! Let's go!" he said anxiously, "I'll meet you on the pitch in a few minutes."

They got up one by one and ran up to their dorms to get their brooms. Harry left the common room and made his way lazily outside. He knew Ginny wouldn't show up to practice, but he still had some hope that she would. _It's just hope for a lost cause..._ he told himself, but that didn't stop him from wishing.

He stepped outside and felt a gust of cold. Snow was falling lightly and was accumulating on the ground. The soft blanket of cool white snow made the ground slightly slippery. _It'll be harder to kick off now,_ Harry noted, his mind back on Quidditch. 

Footprints in the snow trailed behind him. Another gust of wind came up and blew his hair into his eyes. He brushed it out of the way and looked up to see two red haired figures standing by entrance to the locker room.

"Hello!" called the first, who was wearing a blue jumper with an F on it.

The second redhead ran to meet Harry and clapped him on the back. "Good to see you, mate!" he said.

Harry forced a smile. "Fred, George, nice to see you." 

Fred grinned at him, apparently oblivious to Harry's melancholy mood. "Quidditch practice, I presume?" he asked mildly.

"Yup," Harry replied, changing the subject, "But I have a question. Not to be rude, but, why are you two here?"

Fred stood up very tall, "You see, Harry, you are now looking at Hogwarts' newest flying instructor."

"Instruc_tors_," George corrected, holding up a whistle, "See? We even get whistles like Hooch had!" He blew it and Harry cringed at the loud noise.

"I assume you have to go get ready for practice," Fred said suddenly, "We won't keep you."

Harry nodded, "It's perfectly alright."

The two redheads grinned at him, "Have a good practice, mate! We'll see you around. Good day!" Then they both bolted in the opposite direction.

Harry looked after them, perplexed. Then suddenly he heard a series of loud explosions from within the locker room. He sighed. _That's Fred and George for you._

~*~*~*~*~*~

Lucius Malfoy sat in a dark room with green hangings. It was a small room with no windows. This was his new prison. He had escaped Azkaban easily enough by making a bargain with the dementors. It was an easy enough trade. In exchange for his freedom he gave them his son. 

Draco was an insolated boy anyways. Lucius didn't dislike him, but he wasn't fond of the boy. Draco never seemed to follow orders in a timely manner. Although he was useful as a spy within the school. 

He would give up his son in February, after Christmas. He needed to wait at least until then if he was to get all of the information on Hogwarts' new Auror training course. He knew Dumbledore was up to something. The old man was obviously trying to train the students for war. In that case he needed Draco there to send him information.

Lucius heard a tapping noise at the door and opened it cautiously. A young woman who was very scantily clad stood before him. She had dark brown hair that fell in loose curls around her shoulders and she wore a very heavy amount of makeup. 

" 'Allo, Mista Malfoy," she said sweetly, "Oi 'ave a letta fo' ya. It came abou' a week ago. Oi fo'got to give it to ya. But, if you'll come ova to ma room tonigh', sir, Oi could give it to ya then," She winked at him and turned to leave.

Lucius grabbed her arm. "Give me the letter," he said, his tone dark.

The woman looked at him and bit the end of her finger and ran it over her red pouty bottom lip. "Oi dunno, Mista Malfoy. Are ya sure ya don' wanna come to ma room tonigh'?"

"My patience is running thin, Mistress Moon," Lucius said sharply, "and I don't believe your husband would be terribly happy if I showed up in your room tonight."

"Bu' 'e's outta the country for three more weeks," she replied slowing pulling up her skirt and exposing her leg.

Lucius' eyes were filled with rage, "I also don't believe your mother, or your father, or your sister would approve either. And after your rendezvous with, shall we say, Mister Goyle, 'tis a miracle your family took you back. Now give me the letter or I'll put you under _Imperius_ and make you give it to me!"

"Fine!" she said dropping her skirt, "'ere it is." She reached into her blouse and removed the letter from her cleavage. 

Lucius snatched it from her hand and shut the door in her face. He returned to his chair and fingered the letter. The parchment smelled of perfume. He was almost sickened by the scent. How had a girl from such a noble family turned into such a..._whore_?

Eden Moon, the elder of the Moon sisters, had been the only person who could offer their home to Lucius for hiding. The Malfoys and the Moons had been very close families. Their younger daughter, Lucius couldn't remember her name, had played with Draco when they were children. Narcissa and Demeter Moon were close and that brought their families together.

Lucius brushed the thoughts of the vulgar woman away and opened the letter. 

_Mister Malfoy,_

_The plan is going well, but I fear the immortals are trying to assist your son in your downfall. He has not yet begun to follow their orders. He must be convinced it is all a joke. The immortals' third child has visited him, and the girl is having dreams of our plan. You must act quickly. The book and time turner must be planted as soon as possible. The girl will be the most vulnerable in October of last year. If all goes well, Potter will be disposed of in no time. It will be like he was never born. The time is near._

_            Sincerely,_

_            T. M. R._

Lucius smiled to himself, "So _even they're _concerned," he laughed cruelly, "Well, they should be..."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ginny was in her dormitory, crying softly. She was slumped over, and her cold tears fell into her lap. Her skin was pale as fresh snow. Her eyes had returned to their normal appearance, soft brown orbs, save the tears that run uncontrollably out of them. Her lips were red and her hair fell haphazardly down her shoulders. 

There was a noise, and Ginny looked up to see Lizzie poking her head into the room. "We have practice!" she said.

Ginny felt a lump forming in her throat. Quidditch meant Harry. "I'm not going," she replied.

Lizzie entered the room and sat down on the edge of the redhead's four-poster, "What's wrong, love?"

Ginny just lowered her eyes and continued to weep.

"Tell me, Ginny, please," Lizzie inquired further.

Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"You can trust me," Lizzie pleaded, "Ginny, I'm your friend."

Ginny looked at her, "No, I can't tell anyone."

Lizzie placed a warm hand on Ginny's shoulder, "Please, Ginny..."

There was a pause, "You wouldn't understand..."

The younger girl laughed, "Then you had better tell me, so I do understand. I hate being in the dark, you know that."

Ginny inhaled slowly, "Okay..." she sighed, "It's Tom..."

"Tom? Who's Tom? Is he in Ravenclaw?"

Ginny looked solemn. "When I was a first year, someone opened the Chamber of Secrets..."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione sat down outside of the Slytherin Common Room. She was crying uncontrollably. She didn't know what was wrong with her. "Why can't I stop these damn tears? Why am I always crying now?"

She began to feel dizzy. The images of the room swam before her eyes; she shut them. Slowly new images began to appear...

_*** Ginny was drinking a soda, which had been given to her by Nataku. She sipped it and listened to the muggles' conversation, laughing when appropriate. She smiled at Nataku the whole time. Draco, on the other hand, was sulking and stood in a corner, trying not to pay attention to the muggles. The salon where the party was taking place was clearing as couples left to the bedrooms._

_Ginny had left the room with Nataku and they were sitting in the hallway, just talking. Draco was still standing in the corner when Sakura approached him. She smiled and tossed her pink hair over her shoulder._

_"You look lonely," she said quietly._

_He didn't meet her gaze, "So what if I am?"_

_She smiled meekly, "Perhaps you want to talk about it?"_

_"Not to you," he said disgusted._

_"Oh," she replied, looking at her feet, "In that case I'll leave you be." A lock of hair fell into her face and Draco inadvertently brushed it away. His finger brushed her warm cheek and he suddenly pulled his hand away as if he had been burned._

_As she began to walk away Draco put his hand on her shoulder, "No, wait, I didn't mean to offend you."_

_"No, it's fine," she answered, "I understand."_

_Draco felt his anger rise. "Don't act like you understand me."_

_Sakura glared at him. "And you shouldn't act like you understand me either."_

_"I won't," Draco replied softly, "I'm sorry."_

_She smiled again, "You're new at this; I can tell."_

_He cocked an eyebrow at her._

_"Talking to girls..." she said._

_Draco glared but held his tongue._

_"Let me show you something," Sakura said suddenly and took Draco's hand._

_They walked out the French doors and onto the back deck. She walked with him around a bush where there was a small garden. There was a little bench and a small pool. Wildflowers grew around the bench and the pool and it looked as if it were there by magic. Draco noticed that there was a charm around the garden making the pool glow._

_"When we moved here," Sakura explained, "This garden was here. I used to sit on this bench at night and stare into the pool for hours. It was like magic. I told my mother and father about it and they thought I was just pretending, but I always believed it was magic, because one time when I was staring into it a woman appeared out of the water. She was wearing a blue gown and she told me that one day I would meet a strange boy who would help me unlock my destiny."_

_Draco just stared at her._

_"I think you are that boy, Draco," she said softly._

_Draco met her gaze for the first time and then leaned in and kissed her.***_

Hermione's eyes flew open. She suddenly felt jealousy build within her. Draco had been kissing another girl, even if it was only in a dream. She got up and ran back to her dormitory to write it down. 

Her quill scratched over the paper in her diary. She smiled inwardly thinking about what Sakura had said about a maiden in a blue gown. Hermione immediately knew that that garden was a fairy garden and that that woman must have been Sapphire. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

A large black bird swooped in over the gates to Malfoy Manor. It perched near a drop box for letters and released the letter it carried within it. A house elf soon picked up the letter and brought it inside to Narcissa Malfoy.

The tall blonde woman opened the letter and read it to herself. She smiled inwardly. She had already known the contents of the letter years earlier and praised herself for her foresight.

_Narcissa,_

_This is a letter to inform you that Edward Black and his muggle wife have been removed. Their possessions have been seized by the Dark Lord Voldemort and their daughter, Hermione, shall be left in your care. You may feel free to inform her of this when you see fit._

_Lucius_

Narcissa tossed the letter and watched it burst into flames. "Always one for fancy charms," she muttered to herself. Although she regarded her husband with nothing short of dislike, she was thankful for his respect of her. He was one to follow formalities, and he regarded her with more respect than most pureblood women received. On the other hand, she was quite a lot stronger than most pureblood women, but she wouldn't let just anyone know that.

She returned to the library where she had been reading a book and shut the door behind her. She intended to write to the Le Fay girl a week previous to the Christmas vacation. She knew that the girl would have no remaining possessions at her home, as it had been ransacked by Death Eaters. Thus she intended to send out a servant to purchase the girl some clothes.

Narcissa smiled and thought of going to purchase the clothing herself. She had always wanted a girl, but had only been blessed with a son. It had made Lucius happy to have an heir, though. 

Narcissa stood and walked to a nearby window and peered out onto the estate. The gardens had fallen dormant and snow dusted the lawn. She rang a bell and a house elf entered the room.

"Fetch me my winter cloak," she said, "I wish to go out."

The house elf nodded and quickly retreated to its task. Narcissa stepped into the corridor and checked herself in one of the large mirrors as she pulled the cloak over her shoulders and Apparated to Diagon Alley.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Cypris pored over a large black volume in her dormitory. She was reading into purges made by Voldemort in the past ten years. It was obvious to her that Hermione hadn't had a fit for no reason. She soon found what she was looking for, a passage on the Le Fays.

_Morgan Le Fay was regarded as one of the most powerful pureblood witches in history, the daughter of The Duke of Cornwall and the half sister to the late King Arthur. She resented both of them for rising in power and claimed that they stole it from beneath her. Although in her lifetime she did not rise to great power, she was a shape shifter and one of the rulers of the Fortunate Isle. As she died she placed a charm upon herself that she would reincarnate as a female in her family line and rule the magical world._

_The Dark Lord sought out the reincarnation of Morgana and was referred to Caperia Le Fay, the wife of Edward Black. After the Dark Lord concluded that Caperia was the sought after reincarnation he intended to take her as his wife. Thus, after Edward disowned her as his wife, The Dark Lord and Miss Le Fay took part in a binding ceremony. Three weeks following the ceremony Miss Le Fay committed adultery by partaking in sexual intercourse with her former husband, Edward Black. The Dark Lord ordered his death, but he killed Caperia and fled into hiding, along with his four children._

_The Dark Lord ordered the purge of the entire family a week following and three of children, Markus, Henry, and Edward II, were purged. Edward Senior and the third child were not killed. The Dark Lord was satisfied and called off the purge. The family remains in hiding to this day._

 "Well, that's interesting," Cypris commented, closing the book with a thud, "Looks like our little Hermione did have a reason to fret."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"May I have a word?" a weary voice asked.

"Yes, certainly," another voice replied, "You know you need not ask."

"It's common courtesy," the other responded lightly.

The female opened the door, "What is it you need?"

"My memories are coming back, Minerva."

She placed a hand on the man's shoulder in attempts to comfort him.

Remus smiled wryly. "It's not just my normal memories, but memories of things that I don't think even happened, yet I remember them as clear as day."

The older woman sighed, "What are they of?"

_***Remus sat with his comrades in the small room. The table was illuminated and jokes lied about on the floor. Then suddenly there was a knock on the door and Sirius entered with a girl, she had red hair and freckles and bright green eyes._

_"Hello, Lily," Remus said courteously._

_James just smiled dumbly at her._

_"What are you looking at?" she asked him sharply before greeting Remus politely._

_"Why did you bring a _girl _here Padfoot?" James asked with sudden contempt._

_Sirius replied sharply, "You're just angry because she's the only girl you can't get your hands on Prongs."_

_James turned a shade of crimson and shut his mouth. Remus continued to examine the map and then suddenly stood up. _

_"The corridor is clear!" he said triumphantly, "Let's go!"_

_The room soon cleared and they soon found themselves on the way to Hogsmeade through a secret passage. Remus and Peter waited in the tunnel as the other three quickly gathered a supply of treats from Honeydukes and reentered the tunnel. Lily was given the task of returning their supplies to Gryffindor tower and hiding them._

_"Why me?" she protested._

_"Because," James replied, "you're a girl and all the teachers suspect us!"_

_Lily scoffed at him and ran off with their plunder beneath James' invisibility cloak._

_The four comrades returned to their hiding place and were plotting to get some food from the house elves when suddenly there was a pop and a girl appeared. _

_"H-Harry? What are you doing here?" she asked, stuttering._

"I believe we should be asking you the same question," James replied.

_"Aren't you Harry?" she shook her head._

_Remus looked at her with kind eyes, "I believe you are mistaken, miss. This is Prongs, and these are Padfoot and Wormtail... oh, and I am Moony."***_

"They are old school memories, but there is a mysterious girl in them," Remus said shaking his head, "A mysterious girl with a striking resemblance to Hermione Granger."

~*~*~*~*~*~

There was a clatter in the locker rooms as the Gryffindors pulled their Quidditch robes over their heads and strapped braces around their arms. Harry fetched the boards of game plans he had made and called the male members of the team to the joint part of the locker room. He called into the girls' area and soon the very springy April and Megan emerged in their robes.

"Fred even talked to me!" April was saying excitedly.

"Well, George gave me _the look_!" Megan replied.

Harry shook his head, "Can we get on with practice?"

They continued to chatter until Leo called out, "Hey!"

They both glared at him. "What?" they asked in unison.

The rest of the team was just staring at them and they looked at their captain.

Harry smiled, "Thank you, Leo. Now have either of you seen Lizzie or Ginny?"

Megan shook her head and April said, "Nope."

Harry sighed, "We can practice without Ginny, but we need Lizzie. We can't practice without our keeper. I'll go fetch her and hopefully Ginny as well. You all get out your brooms and practice a little with the quaffle. We'll go over game plans when I get back."

Harry left his broom in the locker room and threw on his cloak as he made his way back towards the castle. The snow wasn't deep but it made the ground slightly more slippery than usual and Harry was having a difficult time walking properly.

The wind blew snow up into his face and stuck to his glasses, blinding him. He removed his glasses and was cleaning them off on his robe when he tripped on something. He fell to the ground. Returning his glasses to his face, he brushed the snow off of his robes.

He stood up and noticed that where he had fallen there was crimson snow. His eyes widened in shock as he realized he had tripped over the body of Elizabeth Wood.


End file.
